Has this ever happened in a Presidential campaign? A VP makes a really stupid gaffe and it's the Presidential candidate who retracts it?
As you know, Sarah Palain was in a bar Saturday night (nothing says ready for prime time like a bar appearance) and was questioned on whether or not we should go into Pakistan if national security interests so dictate. Palin stated:
"If that's what we have to do stop the terrorists from coming any further in, absolutely, we should."
Honestly, she's a human gaffe machine but this isn't a crazy position. Obama agrees with it and I'm inclined to agree with it. Problem is, McCain doesn't.
His retraction on her part came today:
Sen. John McCain retracted Sarah Palin's stance on Pakistan Sunday morning, after the Alaska governor appeared to back Sen. Barack Obama's support for unilateral strikes inside Pakistan against terrorists
"She would not...she understands and has stated repeatedly that we're not going to do anything except in America's national security interest," McCain told ABC's George Stephanopoulos of Palin. "In all due respect, people going around and... sticking a microphone while conversations are being held, and then all of a sudden that's—that's a person's position... This is a free country, but I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitve policy statement made by Governor Palin."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...
First of all, I think it's pretty crazy that he's retracting her comment that she made in good faith. She said it, she meant it, there was no ambiguity in the question. Aren't tickets allowed to differ on certain points? And who the fuck is he to retract her statement just because it's at odds with his (fairly stupid) position.
But it's the bolded part of the quote that I really find interesting. If someone sticks a mic in Palin's face and she answers a question we shouldn't take her answer as her definitive statement on the matter? But John McCain can speak for her? Daddy knows best.
John McCain's VP choice is the most sexist event in politics that I can remember and he has set the feminist cause back years.