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McCain is stumped.

By Nico on Mar 17th, 2007 at 10:35 am

McCain is stumped.»

Huffington Post notes this exchange yesterday in Iowa:

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

But can you contract HIV from tears?




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36 Responses to “McCain is stumped.”

  1. Jay Randal Says:

    McCain has never wore a condom himself, so he is clueless > lol.


  2. Raven Says:

    “stump speech”


  3. Jake Says:

    Answer: not overall.


  4. barrelhse Says:

    Why do our “leaders” all hail from the stone-age?


  5. Jim Jenkins Says:

    As stunning as that is the follow up is even worse.

    Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

    Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

    Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

    Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”


  6. Jim Jenkins Says:

    As stunning as that is, I think that the follow up is even better:

    Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

    Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

    Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

    Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”


  7. west virginia hillbilly Says:

    #4, barrelhse, “Why do our “leaders” all hail from the stone-age?”
    Because the voters are from the stone-age.


  8. Jim Jenkins Says:

    I repeat myself when I’m distressed, I repeat myself when I’m distressed…


  9. Bluestocking Says:

    C’mon, people…does anyone seriously believe that McCain genuinely doesn’t know the answer to this question? Personally, I’m inclined to think that he’s deliberately playing dumb in an attempt to hedge his bets and play both sides against the middle. McCain probably knows that if he had given the right answer — that condoms help prevent the risk of spreading HIV — he would have run the risk of alienating voters among the Religious Right. Those people don’t like to acknowledge that condoms help to prevent STDs like HIV because it contradicts their preferred message of “abstinence only”. On the other hand, McCain probably also knows that if he had said condoms don’t help prevent STDs, he would have risked alienating voters who are not among the Religious Right who might have taken that answer as a sign that he is (if you’ll pardon the pun) in bed with the religious fundamentalists. Unfortunately for McCain, what he’s failing to take into account is that he risks alienating people on both sides at the same time for not having the courage to side with one group or the other on this issue. Aesop said it over two thousand years ago in this fables “The Boy, The Man, and The Donkey” — try to please everyone and you will please nobody — and also in the fable “The Bat, The Birds, and The Beasts” — he who is neither one thing nor the other has no friends.


  10. Jake Says:

    Yeah, God forbid if everyone had only one sexual partner in their life. That would do NOTHING to help stop the spread of HIV . . .

    /sarc


  11. R Says:

    John McCain stumped? You’ve got to be kidding me. I thought “The Maverick” had an answer for everything.
    I guess things like running for President with a vague and cloudy message is more important than real issues that affect and matter to the people.
    Did this guy have a stroke, or something? Something’s very wrong, with this guy.


  12. Badger Says:

    SOME Contraceptives definately stop the spread of Aids, in particular Condoms. Some may not. If you are on the Pill, you might be more inclined toNOT use a condom too, and your risk of getting Aids could be increased. That said, McCain was stumped because of the Conflict between his own common sense, and the politics of the religious right whose votes he wants.


  13. Publicus Says:

    Double-talk Express.


  14. gummitch Says:

    “Please tell me what my position is . . . because I cycle back and forth so much on any given subject that I have no real opinion on anything except vote for ME!”

    Just what we need to replace GWB: someone else who can’t speak without a cue card.


  15. null Says:

    Guiliani/McCain/Gingrich= Grand Total of 8 wives


  16. Jake Says:

    Which is why I am not going to vote for Guiliani/McCain/Gingrich ; )


  17. stonehinge Says:

    “Get me Coburn’s thang” - roflmao

    There should be some good mileage in that, somewhere…possibly some dark relationship with Teh Clenis? If not that, maybe some kind of shrunken head fetish. I don’t know, Zooey, what do you think?


  18. Ruby Khan Says:

    RE: #12
    That, and the residents of the non-sexually active gated boomer communities he represents are crying in their cocktails cause they have to pay so much for air conditioning and health insurance to prolong their miserable shallow existence.


  19. Badger Says:

    McCain Blew it. The more voters want us out of Iraq, the worse his poll numbers are. He could have supported the Purpose of the war, while decrying the Incompetence of the Bush/Rumsfeld war Planning… but he was too supportive of Bush. Now he’s toast.


  20. GodfryDaniel Says:

    “You’ve stumped me…”

    I think he was refering to his own anatomy at the moment.


  21. Grouchy’s Liberaltopiaâ„¢ » Uncle Tom’s Tar Baby Says:

    […] happen to agree with Muttya, McCain is a pussy, and an idiot, and I agree with him about “tar baby” being nothing to apologize for. McCain has […]


  22. Zooey Says:

    There is something wrong with McCain, and it’s not simply that he’s an idiot. He used to be sharper than this.


  23. Jake Says:

    McCain Blew it.

    I thought that was Clinton’s preferred method of birth control with Monica?


  24. tarazan Says:

    I have a fading knowledge about the whole thing called condoms…I don’t recall when was the last time I… I…, Just forget it..


  25. RUCerious Says:

    Duzent take much to Stump McPain.


  26. tarazan Says:

    #15-Null……Eight wives over 3 candidates …that is 2.66 wife each with few finger nails left.


  27. Badger Says:

    Well Jake, what a clever double entendre. How come Clinton draws huge crowds of admiring people worldwide, while Bush draws rioters????


  28. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    So McCain has to ask a campaign aide what his own position is? And he doesn’t know this, because….? He “thinks” he support’s Bush’s policy, but he isn’t sure…? McCain seems to be in some kind of meltdown, and I agree, he’s been acting really strange and vague lately.


  29. Jeff Coleman Says:

    According to http://www.nndb.com/people/914/000023845/, John McCain’s adopted daughter Bridget is 15, she’ll be 16 in July.

    He’s got a teenage daughter and it’s … never occurred to him to think about whether contraception helps prevent HIV? Does he plan on discussing this with his daughter at some point or just letting her take her chances and find out?

    Jeff


  30. tontocal Says:

    #13

    No, I think it’s more like: “Talking out of both sides of yer mouth” Express. What a huge disappointment this man has become.


  31. tontocal Says:

    #10
    Aside from the fact that it has been well documented that the majority of teenagers who take ‘abstinence pledges’ actually end up engaging in more unprotected sex rather than less or none at all; am I to assume that in your entire life you’ve only had one, and only one, sexual partner?


  32. Juan C Says:

    Mr. McCain: I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was.

    Wow. What a caveman or politician, it´s the same thing.


  33. Marie Says:

    A good friend needs to take him aside and persuade him to retire.


  34. Gregor Samsa Says:

    God forbid if everyone had only one sexual partner in their life.
    Comment by Jake — March 17, 2007 @ 11:06 am

    This is not even remotely realistic. Even assuming married people are faithful, fact remains divorce rate in the US hovers around 50%.

    Not to mention that, through history, men have always had more than one sexual partner: the Bible is chuck-full of stories involving multiple wives, concubines, and harems (how many wives, concubines did Abraham have? King David?).


  35. Raymond Funamoto Says:

    McPAIN IS A CONDOM!!!!! No, wait! That’s “Doctor” Rice’s APPELLATION–CONDOM-Lesser Rice, TAKE IT AWAY!!!!!
    “Over and over
    The LIES that I TELL ALL DAY!
    Over and over
    THIS is WHAT I SAY:
    I’SE GOT
    GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Walk, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Talk, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Smile, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Obfuscate, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Prevaricate, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    OUT-AND-OUT LIE, GAP-A-THOLOGY!
    And this is jus’ the START!
    Over and over
    I DANCE my little DANCE
    Over and over
    With Pasty-Face Flip-Flop McPAIN I PRANCE!
    ‘Cause I’m McPAIN’s TAR-BABY
    And I’ll STICK TO HIM LIKE GLUE
    McPAIN may CRY and SOB, Maybe
    But I KNOW JUST WHAT TO DO!
    ‘Cause I’SE GOT GAP-A-THOLOGY!
    Walk, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Talk, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Smile, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Obfuscate, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    Prevaricate, GAP-A-THOLOGY
    OUT-AND-OUT LIE, GAP-A-THOLOGY!
    ‘Cause I’SE CHIMPya’s RIGHT-HAND-GAL!
    Over and over
    THAT’S JUST HOW IT’LL BE!
    Over and over
    PLAIN AS YOU CAN SEE!!!!! YEAH!!!!!”


  36. Roger_Roger Says:

    While almost everyone knows that condoms help stop HIV, I am still baffled as to why the promotion of abstinence is so wrong? In the end, both should be promoted in my opinion. An abstinence messege should of course be the primary messege as it is the very best way not to get aids. That messege should be followed by information on condoms, etc. We still need to focus on teaching our youth how very important and effective not having sex is when it comes to STD’s. It is scary that anyone would be against telling our youth what the very best way to protect yourself from STD’s is.



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