Oct 26th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
McCain: Vote for Me and I’ll Create an International Crisis
Lately, John McCain’s been trying to dine out on Joe Biden’s weird remark that electing Barack Obama would somehow prompt others to “test” him within six months. But the rhetoric around it is a bit weird:
“I have been tested,” McCain said, with a certain gritted-teeth look at the state fairgrounds in New Mexico. “I’m gonna test them. They’re not gonna test me.”
So rather than respond to an international crisis provoked by others, McCain intends to provoke one himself? Why? Sounds dangerous.
66 Responses to “McCain: Vote for Me and I’ll Create an International Crisis”
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October 26th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I think McCain’s erstwhile base, the mainstreem meedia, infected the aging Senator with a variant of the balancedness reflex. McCain seems to feel the need to define any position or view of his as somehow the neutralizing opposite of what Obama folks have said. McCain doesn’t seem to care what his statements might imply; what’s important is that they are somehow anti-views of Obama views. Not an inspiring way to conjur a campaign message, but it is easy to keep running.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Why? Because he’s channeling for G (I’m the tester) WB… which is odd, since George isn’t dead.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
So rather than respond to an international crisis provoked by others, McCain intends to provoke one himself?
Is that news? McCain has made it abundantly clear that there will be “more wars”. He never said they would be provoked by others.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
If this crazy old bastard gets elected he’ll end up bombing Vietnam before he’s through. He has unfinished business there.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I don’t get why Biden’s remark is considered, well, remarkable. It’s fairly conventional wisdom, expressed every four years by a good many people on both left and right.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Most people have forgotten that Soviet Premier Khrushchev “tested” President Kennedy at a summit meeting and found him wanting. This ended up as the Cuban Missile Crisis in which Mr. Khrushchev and Mr. Kennedy went eyeball to eyeball and it was the former who blinked.
It is highly likely that one of the unfriends of the US will want to find out if the next president is a serious person. Makes no difference whether it is Senator McCain or Senator Obama.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
If you look at the reporting of this McCain stump speech quote, you find that McCain said (sorry, I cannot find more of the transcript — I did hear more of it on the radio today and I don’t think I’m leaving out context in a misleading manner):
This seems to refer to McCain having been a POW for five years. But that isn’t international crisis experience at a high level. Or even a low level. So what international crisis management experience does McCain have? This seems to be more of McCain’s “Guantanamo isn’t a prison, its a leadership academy” stance, just this time a international crisis management leadership academy. I could see McCain going after Obama’s lack of international high level crisis management experience if McCain himself had some, but McCain does have any. Like HR Clinton, who famously had to duck snipers in Bosnia to have tea with the wives of local politicians, McCain seems to believe having been in the public eye for more years than Obama, he can claim more high level international crisis management experience and success than Obama, even if that claim doesn’t have any actual foundation.
Obviously, McCain could talk about all his good work going to Nato-security conferences and talking to German members of parliament and the various deputy chiefs of staff of European foreign secretaries, but I don’t think that would sound quite as impressive as a slam on Obama.
I’d all be up for considering voting for a politician with actual high level foreign policy crisis management experience. But we don’t have one of them in the running, just pretenders.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Somebody tell crazy old man to stop talking, plz.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
John Kerry put it well — this should be the stock Dem response to McCain’s claim of having been tested:
October 26th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Whatever did happen to John Kerry? I feel as though he disappeared after his fabulous speech at the Democratic National Convention. He was definitely one of my favorite surrogates, him and Robert Wexler.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Biden: If you elect Obama there will be an international crisis.
McCain: Oh yeah? If you elect me you’ll get the mother of all international crises.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
urbino says:
What a relief to read this, because I was beginning to think I have a blind spot that no one else has. Biden’s comment is being handled as a gaffe; even Obama said something to the effect that he makes “rhetorical flourishes”, a mild chiding. But for the life of me, I don’t see why. It is an article of conventional wisdom that new US presidents get “tested” by foreign adversaries. Maybe that hasn’t always been true in history, and maybe it’s not a sure thing for the next President, but nevertheless Biden’s comment is entirely unexceptional. Meanwhile, McCain, Palin and various other Republicans are saying batshit crazy stuff all the time.
Can somebody clue me in? What’s the big deal?
October 26th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Thank goodness McCain is nothing like Bush Jr.; McCain will instead take the initiative to be aggressive, to surprise our adversaries, to fight them over there instead of, um, well, it’s different.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Is this a “wag the dog” moment – is this to allow John McCain to be “tested”?
US helicopters attack Syrian village, say witnesses
Local residents told the Associated Press by telephone that two helicopters carrying US soldiers raided a farm in Hwijeh village, 10 miles (17km) inside Syria’s border.
An official Syrian spokesman confirmed eight people were killed in the attack.
Witnesses said five others were wounded; one of the witnesses said five of the dead were from a single family.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
John McCain is going to meet with every leader in the international community and dare them to call it a regular battery.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Biden’s comment is being handled as a gaffe… What’s the big deal?
First, he didn’t say that there would be a crisis regardless of who is elected president. He made it specific to Obama.
Second — to make sure this applied only to Obama, he specifically said that we’re about to elect this “47-year-old senator” — clearly meaning a young guy with no executive experience.
So he was basically saying that electing Obama was certain to bring a crisis.
Third — then he kept digging deeper into that hole: “”And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”
And in case he hadn’t scared them enough, he added: “Gird your loins… God willing, we’re gonna win, but this is not gonna be an easy ride.”
If the McCain campaign had said these exact same words, we would all be crying foul. Biden should be muzzled.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
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October 26th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I echo Greg’s sentiments.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
It’s so reassuring to know that McCain wouldn’t ever die in office and leave Sarah Palin to be tested.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
@JS: Thanks, I can see the point now.
Going on your summary of Biden’s statement, there is a defense that could be made: Obama can handle a crisis, but because of his age, someone might be tempted to give him a crisis to handle. By way of analogy: some historians suspect that Khruschchev thought Kennedy would be an easy mark due to his youth, but JFK stared him down in the Cuban missile crisis after all.
But if Biden meant to say that, he should have emphasized Obama’s ability to deal with whatever happens; and such a prediction is hardly certain anyway. So I see the problem. Thanks for clearing me up.
@Matt: Greg and John are dirty rotten spammers. Looks like you need a captcha function.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
so here’s my thing about biden… i’m immune to his gaffes!
i have NO idea why. i never take offense and for some reason, i just like the guy even more. i know he says crazy things all the time (the “articulate” incident, the 7/11 thing, etc.) but it doesn’t do anything to damage my opinion of him… at the end of the day I still respect him as a smart and savvy guy.
Anyone have any insight into “biden-gaffe-proofness?” I know a lot of people (Republican and Democrat) who feel the exact same way too!
October 26th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Yeah, McCain reminded me of that scene in Get Shorty:
CHILI: Martin, I’m not connected to those people anymore. Not since I walked out of a loan-shark Operation in Miami.
MARTIN: What happened? The pressure got to you?
CHILI: Pressure? I’m the one applied the pressure.
Oh, and John was goofing on the spammer. I guess he should have added a smiley face to make it clear.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Going on your summary of Biden’s statement, there is a defense that could be made: Obama can handle a crisis, but because of his age, someone might be tempted to give him a crisis to handle.
Not much of a defense. Why, all things being equal, would you want to elect a guy to whom someone will be tempted to give a crisis, even if he can probably handle it? Of course, all things aren’t equal, but he shouldn’t have said it.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
More on the US attack in Syria – from Haaretz:
What other purpose than assisting McCain could this action (which constitutes an act of war) serve?
October 26th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
What other purpose than assisting McCain could this action (which constitutes an act of war) serve?
True enough — there goes Florida.
October 26th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Maybe I am mistaken but I recall the Chinese shot down an airplane shortly after Bush came into office. It was Colin Powell’s first diplomatic test. The plane was returned in pieces to the US if I am correct.
October 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Kind of a meaningless question, since things are most certainly not equal.
October 26th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Sounds erratic, too.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Maybe I am mistaken but I recall the Chinese shot down an airplane shortly after Bush came into office.
Mostly mistaken. A US spy plane was doing its rounds just off the coast of China and Chinese jets scrambled to intercept it. The US plane and one of the Chinese jets had a mild collision — enough to cause the Chinese plane to fall (and the pilot to be lost) and to slightly damage the US plane which proceeded to land in China without clearance. After some bilateral posturing, the US said it was sorry for the incident (not clear if that was an apology) and the plane was returned disassembled because the Chinese refused to allow it to be repaired there.
It’s not entirely clear who was testing whom. Chances are neither side intended the collision to happen. For perspective, imagine the reverse situation (a Chinese spy plane just off the US coast colliding with a US jet, the American jet down and the pilot killed, etc.).
October 27th, 2008 at 6:57 am
It all boils down to Are you talkin’ to me?! – sad really.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:02 am
That`s the the old warmonger I love to hate………maybe he needs to spend the weekend in Hanoi, I`m just saying.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Biden might be referring obliquely to the growing realization that a Republican victory is the hope of Al Qaeda, who has been building its base steadily with the help of W.’s completely wrongheaded policies. Al Qaeda would not be above testing a new president who does NOT perpetuate Bush policies.
Second, it’s getting kind of embarrassing to watch the old soldier relive his glory days over and over, but that’s what old soldiers do. Taken to its logical conclusion, McCain’s answer to our economic and employment ills would be to keep pumping up the military spending and put everyone onto a military payroll.
Enough with such stupidity! The stakes are too high!
October 27th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
By far the best commentary I’ve seen yet. I’m laughing my head off. “Crazy old man” — I love it!
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