MISSTATEMENTS AND MISGIVINGS
Someone recently asked me what I thought when politicians misspeak? I said “not much.” It happens all the time. Whether it’s Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John McCain. I expect them to make misstatements. It happens when you talk a lot and live in the age of YouTube and camera phones.
The trick is what you do afterwards.
You can try to clarify them like Barack has done with “clinging” comment or McCain with his “in Iraq for 100 years” comments. Or you can keep repeating the misstatement as Hillary did with her trip to Bosnia.
Fundamentally, I don’t think they change too much of anything. What you take from these comments is pretty much what you bring to them. If you like the candidate, nothing changes. If you don’t like them, nothing changes. If you really want to know what someone thinks, look at what they write. That is a lot more telling than what they say.
April 14th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Abdul, the worst thing about politicians “misspeak” is the root word, namely, speak. Every time you do taped comments by anyone in office causes me to instantly change stations to sports talk, which I relly don’t like either, but it at least does not cause projectile vomiting. I, for one, have absolutely no interest in hearing what some empty suit (or empty pant suit) member of your government has to lie about. Local folks, OK, I can tolerate it a little. Any national type, forget it and count me gone. Ciao.
sam