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McCain Keeps Mentioning Country That Hasn't Existed Since 1992

July 15, 2008 3:39 PM

In early 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush told Roger Simon, then with U.S. News & World Report, that he was befuddled by how soft the media was on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"I don't think there is any plot; I hope there isn't," Bush said. "But it's an amazing phenomenon, I'll tell you that. It's like the flap over the foreign-leader deal. A guy gets up and quizzes me -- it's my fault for trying to answer -- but John McCain says something about the 'ambassador to Czechoslovakia.' Well, I know there is no Czechoslovakia (there's a Czech Republic and a Slovakia), but yet it didn't make the nightly national news. I'm not going to gripe about it, but the media question is starting to pop up."

Apparently that Czechoslovakia lesson never took, because McCain keeps making that mistake, eight years later.

"I was concerned about a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days," McCain said this week. "One was reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia. Apparently that is in reaction to the Czech's agreement with us concerning missile defense, and again some of the Russian now announcement they are now retargeting new targets, something they abandoned at the end of the Cold War, is also a concern."

Well, I'd be concerned too!

Especially since I was under the impression that on January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- two separate countries.

Greg Sargent points out that this is not an isolated incident, that earlier this year McCain told Don Imus he'd "work closely with Czechoslovakia and Poland" (Poland still exists!) on the European Missile Defense System, and during a October 2007 Republican debate sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations McCain said he'd "make sure that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and I don't care what (Vladimir Putin's) objections are to it."

The issue is bubbling up quite a bit on liberal blogs with the argument that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, (as with Bush before him) could never get away with such an error. The idea being that McCain claims great foreign policy experience and knowledge, so why does he keep urging action on a missile shield for a country that hasn't existed since George H.W. Bush was president?

Herein we offer a helpful list of other countries that no longer exist (Hey, Brooke, -- clip and save):

The U.S.S.R.
Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Kongo
Upper Volta
Persia
Ivory Coast
Burma
West Germany
East Germany.
North Yemen
South Yemen
Southern Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Ceylon
Portuguese West Africa
Nyasaland
French West Africa
New Holland
Constantinople
Gold Coast

...I'd also avoid mentioning Pangaea.

- jpt

July 15, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (50)

User Comments

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Obama called ICE agents terrorists for arresting illegals.

Obama wants change, he wants marxism.

Obama is so far left he will make cuba's leader look conservative.

Posted by: Michael | Jul 15, 2008 5:59:58 PM

Obama never holds open town halls.


McCain talks to the media on his bus every day.


Obama says nothing that isn't on script.


McCain has held several hundred town halls.


McCain at La Raza took questions afterwards Obama wouldn't.


McCain talks to the media on his plane he and bus for hours while Obama walked out of his press conference in texas.


Obama wouldn't accept McCain's invitation for 10 town halls.


Obama doesn't talk without a teleprompter.


Obama won't accept a CBS invitation for a town hall in front of the military at fort hood in texas. McCain accepted. A military organization had to go public to say Obama is ducking them.

Posted by: Michael | Jul 15, 2008 5:54:07 PM

Obama didn't even know that there is speculation in the oil markets.

McCain said there is psycology in the oil markets and the fool Obama said washington speak to make you feel better. Offshore driling would have a psycological effect on the oil markets.

Posted by: Michael | Jul 15, 2008 5:51:28 PM

McCain did not confuse Sunni and Shia.


That is a lie. McCain never confused sunni and shia.


McCain said al queda got some training in iran from sunnis in iran.

Obama has confused sunni and shia many times.


In a debate with Petreaus Obama said Iran is in charge of special groups.

Posted by: Michael | Jul 15, 2008 5:50:21 PM

To Jake Tapper


Obama called Maliki the president of Iraq and it the MSM didn't pick it up.

Maliki is the prime minister of Iraq.


Obama called the leader of Canada the president of Iraq. Canada has no president the leader is the prime minister for the last 140 years.


Obama said 100 million died in Burma.

Wrong.


Obama called sunrise florida sunshine florida four times.


Obama said 57 states.

Obama said 10,000 died in a tornado in Kansas.

McCain just yesterday also called it the Czech Republic twice.


When Obama slips on his tounge you say nothing.

Obama called Maliki the president of iraq and the media was silent.

I can't take the east coast liberal media anymore.


Posted by: Michael | Jul 15, 2008 5:48:09 PM

"
WE HAVE NO ethicS. But we're not talking about an ordinary job here. It's president of the United States.'

pOSTED by: LESD | Jul 15,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

EXACTLY!

Last time I looked, there were restrictions regarding a candidate's youth... and citizenship.


Will we be re-writing the rules shortly?Maybe we should...... maybe no baby boomers should be permitted to run.....?

Or maybe nobody over 46.....
Would that suit?

It would get rid of contenders like Hillary....


forget that today's 50 is yesterday's 60..... that's just Oprah!

Posted by: eyes wide open | Jul 15, 2008 5:46:39 PM

Didn't there used to be a Palestine, as well. Somehow people have managed to block that out.

Posted by: Truth Matters | Jul 15, 2008 5:28:30 PM

Umm, there are not one but two countries called Congo, so perhaps that should be taken off the list.

Both the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are still very much countries, and the CIA World Factbook lists the conventional short name of the Republic of the Congo as "Congo (Brazzaville)."

Posted by: Andrew | Jul 15, 2008 5:11:35 PM

No, Mr. hmmmmmm, I will not "tell my parents that their lives are finished." Nor will I encourage them to run for president of the United States.

I'm very happy that your company has 80 year old employees making valuable contribution to the company's work. We can only admire their work ethic. But we're not talking about an ordinary job here. It's president of the United States.

Posted by: LESD | Jul 15, 2008 5:05:54 PM

McCain "discovered" today that it might be useful to have more US troops in Afghanistan...about 2 hours after Obama said the same thing for the umpteenth time. Yet, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen has said the following:

"I don’t have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq."

Maliki wants the US to provide a withdrawal timetable and says Iraq can take responsibility for its own security. For how much longer will US taxpayers be asked to spend $10 billion per month on Iraq? June was the dealiest month for US troops in Afghanistan since the war began almost seven years ago. This problem bears directly on US national interests.

McCain doesn't get it. Obama does.

Posted by: LESD | Jul 15, 2008 5:02:22 PM

ENOUGH WITH THE AGE RAGE!

JESUS IS OLDER THAN ANYONE BUT G-D".
Should we not venerate him.

The Dalai Lama was born in 1931.
Should we "diss" him?

Where I work, we have "chiefs" in their 80's who are considered to be VALUABLE to our company.

I know doctors of that age who while not working as medics, are revered as mentors and tutors.

Will you tell your parents their lives
are finished because YOUR timetable permits for NO EXCEPTIONS?

John McCain is a leader who has proven his worth time after time both in congress and at the front.

He has, in his long years of service ,accomplished more with less gaffes and boneheaded mistakes (per years of service and accmplishments) than Obama.

And,unlike Obama (BO(?),BHO(?)BARRY(?)
HE CAN REMEMBER HIS NAME!!!!!

Posted by: hmmmmmmmmmmmm | Jul 15, 2008 4:56:25 PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has now called for a withdrawal timetable. Senator McCain has acknowledged the sovereignty of Iraq's government and pledges that US troops will leave when Maliki asks them too. He's asking for a timetable. Let's give him one.

Barack Obama wants to withdraw combat troops by mid-2010. The US general in Iraq in charging of training Iraq's army and police says they will be ready to "stand up" and assert control of Iraq's security by 2009. Let's allow Iraqis to assume responsibility for their own country. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen says Afghanistan needs more US troops, and that they can't be added until troops are withdrawn from Iraq.

It's time for the war in Iraq to end. Obama will end it in a responsible way. McCain will not. That's the real story for today.

Posted by: LESD | Jul 15, 2008 4:47:51 PM

he just doesn't think it is important to know the difference.

and there is the problem

neither did Bush.

anough with frat boys trying to impress their fathers with cowboy military diplomacy rather than REAL diplomacy.

Posted by: dl | Jul 15, 2008 4:39:51 PM

hmmm

McCain has years in the government but his foreign policy understanding is obviously seriously lacking...

he didn't understand there are tribes in the middle east who have been warring for centuries and chances are us holding a gun to their heads and saying make-up and become a government...

wouldn't work... even if we lie to insiurgents and promise them positions of power and money that don't exist.

McCain gets military plans...

but our problems in the world are not military problems...

they are diplomatic and cultural...

thus McCain doesn't think it is important to differentiate between a company that existed and the two countries that exist now.

old man yells at cloud.

Posted by: dl | Jul 15, 2008 4:37:58 PM

It would be one thing if it was just an isolated slip of the tongue - like Obama's "57 states." But it's not. Aside from Czechoslovakia, there are the much more disconcerting confusions between Sunni and Shia and Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan that he has repeatedly made.

When you consider these ongoing misconceptions, and then imagine this man having his finger on the button, not just now but FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, it really gives you pause.

Posted by: EricNYC | Jul 15, 2008 4:30:53 PM

Eyes wide open, it's not about a "new name." Burma and Myanmar are the same country. The Czech Republic and Slovakia split into two separate countries 16 years ago.

In fairness to Senator McCain, maybe Cindy is just slow to work through his old email.

Posted by: LESD | Jul 15, 2008 4:27:10 PM

"McSame has no historical and foreign policy understandings,


.....Oh yes he does! and an enormous background in government and the military..........but what the hell is an "underpining"?????

Is that a wishy weed under a weeping willow?

hmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Posted by: hmmmmmmmmmmmm | Jul 15, 2008 4:23:23 PM

and obama believes the US has 57 states~!

Posted by: trettione | Jul 15, 2008 4:22:25 PM

I for one refuse to remember Burma's new name!

So long as "Brooklyn" remains "Brooklyn"


who cares?

Posted by: eyes wide open | Jul 15, 2008 4:19:21 PM

McCain should ask W if
Czechoslovakia has
nucular weapons???

Posted by: Bert V | Jul 15, 2008 4:17:51 PM

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