A Few Funnies

Astoundingly, instead of igniting rage, the news actually made me laugh a few times this weekend. First came Sarah Palin’s reference to a Palin-McCain administration, implying that she is the presidential candidate and McCain the veep. As Olbermann pointed out, maybe it’s a “Freudian slip?” This one is clearly just a mis-speak, but a funny one at least.

John McCain’s mistake last week is not so forgivable. During an interview, McCain was asked if he would meet with Zapatero, Spain’s Prime Minister. McCain’s reply?

“Well, again, I don‘t, 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, and that‘s judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region.”

Really, McCain? Really?

After hearing the audio clip, I assume that McCain had trouble understanding the Spanish pronunciation the interviewer read through quickly, which is somewhat understandable. But to just assume that she was referring to a leader of Latin America because it sounded Spanish-y is just dumb. I suppose this is especially funny to me as I just got back from spending a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain. The election took place while I was living there and I’m still reeling from the differences in media coverage. It seemed like everyone I spoke to was engaged in the Spanish election; I heard countless teenagers shouting “Zap-a-tero! Zap-a-tero!” on the subway for days after the election. Cab drivers spoke to me about the candidates in a truly educated way. Something else I noticed while in Barcelona, was how closely the Spanish papers followed the U.S. primaries. It was almost as if I was getting more news on the U.S. candidates in Spain than I would have if I had stayed in the U.S. And that is just shameful.