Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
I'm laughing my head off here. After flying all the way to Baghdad and arranging for all that protection by the military for his ridiculous press conference to announce that an American could casually stroll down the streets of that city, McCain now says he misspoke when he said that:
McCain said he regrets comments he made after a tour of Baghdad last Sunday, when he said he could see progress and the American people were not being told the "good news" about the war, according to excerpts of his comments and a press release provided by "60 Minutes.""Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," said McCain, according to "60 Minutes".
The excerpted quotes provided by "60 Minutes" did not indicate which comments McCain thought were misspoken.
Answer: whichever ones the entire country is still laughing at.
Comments
If he is running for Mr. Dufus USA he's got my vote. President? Not so much. I think the real question for McCain, is who he throws his support to after he drops out.
Posted by: J-Dog | April 9, 2007 10:08 AM
Personally, I'm glad he's falling apart. It's what he gets for trying to be Bush 2.0, when people clearly don't want that.
Posted by: Stuart Coleman | April 9, 2007 10:29 AM
Ugh - My personal regard for this man has been plummeting for three years now.
McCain in 1999:
"War is wretched beyond description, and only a fool or a fraud could sentimentalize its cruel reality."
McCain at the RNC in 2004:
"We fight for love of freedom and justice, a love that is invincible. Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong.
Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight.
We're Americans, and we'll never surrender."
OK, John, so is it fool or fraud??
Posted by: gateman's nametag | April 9, 2007 10:52 AM
When McCain decided to reorient his campaign and sold out to the fundies, he lost it. The fundies don't really buy it, and he'll never recover his old centrist base.
Posted by: Ex-drone | April 9, 2007 11:20 AM
What happened to McCain or has he always been like this?
Maybe I've changed but years ago I thought he was a strong leader who had suffered hardship during the Viet Nam war. He had definition.
Now, he's a jibbering, pandering old fool. The pandering part is the worst. He used to have principles, but no longer; they're for sale. Vote for me and I'll tell you anything you like.
Totally sad.
Posted by: Doc Bill | April 9, 2007 11:38 AM
McCain got his ass handed to him by Bush's smear forces in 2000. Apparently the lesson he took from it was that you have to kiss the most delusional asses among the right wing to win the Republican nomination. Who knows, maybe a better strategy would have been to jump that sinking Republican ship in 2004, support Kerry, stay clean, and wait for 2008.
Posted by: Dr X | April 9, 2007 11:51 AM
One could perhaps be charitable and suggest that his downward spiral is simply a result of his age. People's mental faculties begin to deteriorate at different ages. Some are blessed to remain sharp well into their 80s but most are not so lucky, and perhaps McCain is one for whom the best years are behind him already. He is looking at lot older and more tired than in past years.
If true, then it's hard to be too hard on McCain, save to say that he would obviously be unfit to be President.
Posted by: tacitus | April 9, 2007 1:20 PM
I think the real question for McCain, is who he throws his support to after he drops out.
Why? You think one of the other candidates is going to pay for him NOT to endorse them?
Seriously - McCain couldn't have made himself a more toxic Presidential candidate if he had set out with the goal of making himself unelectable. His major constituency back in 2000 were Republicans who wanted to believe that the GOP hadn't just become the fundie-pandering party -- people who believed that the GOP was about fair play for everyone and good leadership at home and abroad. The GOP brand got tarnished quite a bit in the 90's, and McCain looked like the guy who could turn it around and make it a party worth supporting again.
Then he lost - and apparently learned the lesson that if you wanted to be President you had to turn yourself into a vapid moron who pandered to the GOP base of fundie Christians. Of course, what played well in 2000 doesn't look like it will do so hot in 2008, but McCain is doing it anyway. Watching McCain degrade for the last 6 years has just been something awful to watch. In 2000 he was someone I voted for in the GOP primary - today he isn't even someone I'd feel comfortable with voting for as dogcatcher. Kinda sad.
Posted by: NonyNony | April 9, 2007 2:29 PM
You cowards are going to let the terrorists win.
You don't even have the balls to keep Iran from getting nukes...courtesy of atheistic scientists who provide them to every government that pays.
Posted by: Steinmaster | April 9, 2007 5:55 PM
Um, Stein, was that sarcasm? It's riding the edge so close I can't really tell, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it was.
Posted by: Robert | April 9, 2007 6:06 PM
And then I saw it:
"Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," said McCain
My word. An honest man.
Maybe I've been to harsh on the boy.
Posted by: Crudely Wrott | April 9, 2007 7:53 PM
What is not so funny about McCain's little market adventure is the 21 market workers who were murdered the next day, obviously to send a message.
Any idiot could see that coming - that is if they understood what a hell-hole Iraq has become, thanks to our C-in-C, our Commander-in-Competent.
Posted by: Foggg | April 9, 2007 8:43 PM
To "misspeak" oneself is like the phrase "mistakes were made", a way to avoid responsibility for one's actions. This is a form of the "past exonerative" tense, as proposed by the NY Times' William Schneider.
I would love to see more reference made to the "past exonerative" in political blogs.
Posted by: Daniel Kim | April 10, 2007 7:15 AM
Sen. John McCain said Monday he would have taken his tour of an Iraqi market last week even if he hadn't been accompanied by heavily armed U.S. soldiers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070409/ap_on_el_pr/on_the2008_trail_2
I once believed this man was a man of vision and one who could reach across bipartisan lines. I now see his career crumble into nothing more than Barney 2 (Bush's dog)
Posted by: Chris | April 10, 2007 9:44 AM