One way or another, it’s bad news for Spain if John McCain makes it to President. Either he doesn’t know where the country is, or he’s going to refuse to meet Spanish leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, until he shows a greater dedication to ‘human rights, democracy and freedom.’
This bizarre story, which is going viral in the Spanish language press, springs from an interview where McCain appeared to lump Zapatero with Castro and Chavez – leaders he would be cold shouldering until they mended their wicked ways.
Twice the Spanish reporter tried to emphasize that she was referring to a leader from Europe not Latin America, but McCain was not to be distracted. “All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the Hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not,” he said. “And that’s judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region.”
Later his campaign refused to take the easy way out (blame the reporter’s accent) or admit what seems to be the truth (McCain just got muddled). Instead, a spokesman claimed that the dissing of Zapatero had been a deliberate one (neocons hate him, of course, for what they see as the ‘betrayal’ that followed the Madrid bombings).
Josh Marshall has been all over the story – or there’s a good rundown in the Washington Post. You can listen to the interview here.
Is this what to expect from public diplomacy, McCain style?
