Senile dementia is *not* pretty.

[theweaselking]

McCain can't complete a thought, handle a change in subject, or, even after repeated mentions from the reviewer and presumably a good briefing from his staff, remember that Spain is not a South American druglord dictatorship.

Yesterday John McCain was interviewed on the Florida affiliate of Spanish radio network Union Radio. And in the interview McCain appeared not to know who the Prime Minister of Spain was and assumed he was some anti-American leftist leader from South America.

After the interviewer presses him a couple times on the point and tries to focus him on the fact that Prime Minister Zapatero isn't from Mexico and isn't a drug lord either McCain comes back at her saying, "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."

Then there's a moment of awkward pause before she says. "But what about Europe? I'm talking about the President of Spain."

Says one commenter, elsewhere: "If your own grandparent was exhibiting similar forgetfulness, inability to comprehend, confusion, losing themselves in the past, and confused anger would you be concerned about him or her?

I have been saying this for six months and most people have written me off as someone who dislikes Mr. McCain and is attempting a cruel joke. I'm not. I feel that putting him on the public stage to be humiliated again and again is a cruel and horrible thing.
[...]
If this was my relative I would be facing heartbreaking decisions about financial custodialship, taking away keys, and talking with the council on aging about longer term options. "

Comments

[spartonian.livejournal.com]

I saw this article this morning, and it made me cringe.

[cavalorn.livejournal.com]

McCain on Spain is plainly brain insane.

[anivair.livejournal.com]

damn ... I was working a very similar poem out while I read it. Sad that i missed out.

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

/kickban

[mochi-tsuki.livejournal.com]

Brav[o/a]!

I've seen a couple of variants on this, but yours is by far the best.

[cavalorn.livejournal.com]

Thankyou!

Our daughter is also called the Bean. This is no doubt serendipitous!

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

There are some comments saying "He wasn't confused, he was dodging the question," out already.

...and that would be better, how?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Which makes a lot of sense because this was the only senior moment he's had in this campaign. Right?

[fortysevenbteg.livejournal.com]

Wow. :U

[kadath.livejournal.com]

Zapatero, Zapatistas, whatever!

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

President of Spain? Maybe the interviewer should also check her facts before she befuddles the elderly.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

The Spanish Prime Minister is also "President of the Governing Council," so he gets called El Presidente a lot.

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

Whereas here in France we systematically call him "Premier ministre", since we have both a president and a prime minister.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

We Americans have been calling our head of government "shit-for-brains" for the last few years.

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

Our head of state is the Bling-Bling Bastard, and no-one remembers who the prime minister is, he's so insignificant.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

I kind of love Sarko, if only because he makes me feel better about my own country's shitty taste in leaders.

[theamaranth.livejournal.com]

tank girl.

woot.

[atlasimpure.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm more worried about what's going to happen when the dementia devolves to the point where he thinks he's back in Hanoi.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

"Saigon... shit, i'm still in Saigon."

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

*baptizes monitor*

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

[faeriemuriel.livejournal.com]

Old-dude burn.

[atlasimpure.livejournal.com]

Heh, I met this guy when I was stationed in Monterey.
He's kind of a badass, in person.

[kakita-tsuna.livejournal.com]

Zeitgeist, part 3.

He's a breakthrough in the educational system devised by the future World Government.

[ambug666.livejournal.com]

I miss Moxy Fruvous.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I know many people think we're cruel taking jabs at his advanced age - but it has to be a relevent topic... He could be looking at 8 years - that's a long time for a man of his age to develop various ailments. Especially if he is already developing signs

[doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com]

We already had ONE president who was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. The hell if we need another...

[theamaranth.livejournal.com]

this is not jabs at his age, this is looking at his behavior! my god, the man can't complete a sentence, or couldn't figure out that Spain is in Europe even after being told repeatedly (should have learned that in 2nd grade, in my opinion)! i would expect a highschool teacher to have a better performance than this man. this person is campaigning for a very powerful position that can destroy or heal the country. his mind should be the first thing we observe and pick apart.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

It's not his age that bothers me, it's his mental health. One Alzheimers patient with nuclear weapons was more than enough for me.

[normanrafferty.livejournal.com]

I felt sorry for Stockdale. I don't feel sorry for McCain.

[theamaranth.livejournal.com]

jesus christ. seriously people, if Obama was talking like this, i wouldn't vote for him either. it's not that i'm discriminatory or biased (well, i am...), but this is serious. the man cannot think correctly. the man doesn't realize Spain is in Europe! what the hell? i mean, what the hell? how do americans not notice this shit?

[childofisis73.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. Thanks

[mochi-tsuki.livejournal.com]

My favorite response was Randy Schuenman, who is trying to argue that McCain knew exactly what he was talking about and was deliberately insulting and threatening the head of a NATO state. How exactly is that any better?

[theamaranth.livejournal.com]

oh. my. god.

anything to explain away his faults, right?

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

He's a POW! Jeez, leave him alone!

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

I remember the same thing with Reagan 28 years ago, and I specifically remember Reagan promising in the summer of 1980 that he'd take regular senility tests as President, just to make sure he was still fit to command. Well, we know where that went, to the point where his aides were thinking about removing him from office during his second term because all he wanted to do was watch old movies. When the news of his Alzheimer's came out right after he left office, I remember someone at Time whining about how "only the cruelest of Reagan's enemies could make any comment about his disorder," and all any of us could say was "And it took you eight fucking years to notice that he had a problem?"

Oh, yeah, it's gonna get ugly if McCain wins. As in "President dies, Veep gets sworn in, and promptly gets impeached in weeks due to her insane demands on Congress and the Supreme Court."

[starcrossedlady.livejournal.com]

well, then Nancy Pelosi's in the top spot...

[dscotton.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if he just DIDN'T know who Prime Minister Zapatero was and was trying to BS his way past it, rather than this being a sign of senility. Either way he's completely unfit to be President.