Here's a gem of a video clip from the archives. During the January 30 GOP debate at the Reagan Library, Janet Hook of the LA Times asked John McCain why he was more qualified than Mitt Romney to manage the economy. In response, McCain managed to:
+ Say nothing about the economy
+ Say he was more patriotic than Mitt Romney
+ Cite his experience as a POW
+ Argue that "radical Islamic extremism" is a more important issue
+ Criticize a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq
+ Did I mention, say nothing about the economy?
It's truly a hall-of-fame moment in the annals of chronic dodgery. Video and transcript below.
Link: YouTube | jedreport.com
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Transcript:
JANET HOOK, LA TIMES: What makes you more qualified than Mitt Romney, a successful CEO and businessman, to manage our economy?
JOHN MCCAIN: Because I know how to lead. I know how to lead.
I led the largest squadron in the United States Navy. And I did it out of patriotism, not for profit.
And I can hire lots of managers, but leadership is a quality that people look for.
And I have the vision and the knowledge and the background to take on the transcendent issue of the 21st century, which is radical Islamic extremism. I've been involved in every single major national security crisis since -- in the last 20 years. I'm proud to have played a role in those, and I'm proud to have played a role in making sure that we didn't raise the white flag and surrender in Iraq, as the Democrats wanted us to do and we would have done if we had set timetables for a withdrawal.
So, the fact is -- so the fact is that I have the qualifications and the knowledge and the background and the judgment. I don't need any on-the-job training.
I had the great honor of serving this country in uniform for 22 years.
I had the great honor of being inspired while I was in the prison camps of North Vietnam by the news of a governor and his wife who cared very much about those of us who were in captivity.
And when I came home, I was inspired by him, and I voted for him, and I supported him, and I was proud to be a leader in the Reagan revolution -- I mean, a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution, as we fought these wars together with unshakable courage and principle. And I'm prepared to follow in his tradition and in his footsteps.
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I also blog at The Jed Report.