Actually, contraceptives prevent pregnancy. One contraceptive (condoms) will also prevent HIV/STDs, but the pill, patch, ring, IUD, etc, won't help you one bit against disease.

Of course, McCain knew exactly that reporter meant and, like Dan said, if he were human would have said "Condoms prevent HIV."

Now I see two possibilities for what exactly is going through JMcC's head. Either, he: is a completely irresponsible American citizen (not to mention elected official) and has failed to educate himself on a topic of vital importance to the country, or he is the most cynical type of political bastard - someone who will deny to the death the truth in order to keep their voting record self-consistent. yuck.

That's just appalling. I liked him, too. Who the heck am I going to recommend to my republican friends now?

#2, I agree and either way it proves him to be just another asshat in a club full of asshats.

I can't believe I used to like him.

McCain is a lying scumbag who will do or say ANYTHING to get that nomination. To me, not saying "of COURSE condoms help prevent STDs including HIV" but saying "Brian, would you find out what my position on contraception is" is the more egregious offense.

I am surprised that nobody was quick enough to ask him what he was taught
in the US Navy about condom use.
Forty years ago it was recognized as the recognized method for preventing sexually transmitted diseases and
pregnancy. I think it still is.

--- Jensen

I read this earlier and couldn't believe it. And it makes something like this all the more refreshing. Imagine, a politician doing something and saying something because he believes it's right to do so.

The man has sold his soul in his misguided quest for the highest office.

Sad.

And frightening.

I think the last seven years have proven the effectiveness of aggressive ignorance (even if it's feigned ignorance) as a framing strategy. Pretending to misunderstand the question is now seen as a crafty rhetorical gambit. The only thing that might bring an end to this practice would be if journalists actually started calling politicians out for not knowing things they could reasonably be expected to know.

It's one of the things I enjoy about British journalists -- they seem in general to be far less deferential to politicians and less inclined to give them a free pass when they try to turn apalling ignorance into an asset.

John McCain tried not being blatantly obvious about his long-standing conservatism in 2000. It won him the affections of the media, but didn't help him to win the primary. Now he has a new strategy.

Oh my God.

Someone, please tell the politicians that being stupid does NOT make them look good. Unless your George W, because he is clearly exempt from all rules, including this one.

I mock stupidity then put "your" instead of "you're". That was a smooth move.

I was blinded by the light of ignorance being emitted from McCain.

he's a sure win for the dems if he gets into the 2008 race. he's lost all of his appeal to the indie voters, and the middle america voters. he thinks the answer is to toady the far right fundie bush line, instead of trying to defiine a new repug agenda. it's a disasterous strategy for him. i wonder who's advising him into the political dead end he's gotten himself into. what a fool (and an asshat, of course).

the saddest thing in all of this is how some ass-kissing REPORTER bailed him out of the situation by asking McCain a softball question about some pig he saw at a county fair. look at the transcript.

fuckin snivelling press corps.

i keep telling everybody that mccain can't be blamed. he's so old that "boxers or briefs" stumps him.

Hey, its the Straight talk express not the gay talk express. Keep your condoms and HIV to yourselves.

Long Live WALNUTS!

it is 2007 and advocating abstinence only education will still get you votes. That is fucking pathetic. When are these puritans going to die off already?

Also, don't fool yourselves into thinking he couldn't win. All I have to say is: 2004 presidential election.

"Brian, would you find out what my position is"? What the HELL? Was he serious? How can he just cheerfully and publicly say "I'm pretty sure I have a position but I can't remember what it is"? I thought they had to at least pretend their positions came from some sort of well-thought-out and coherent philosophy and not from out of King George's ass?

Whoops, your Xtian Conservatives' Strings are showing again, John. He just gave new unintended meaning to his "Straight Talk Express" slogan.

The ACT-UP 2.0 gang should start campaign-trailing him and chanting SHAME SHAME SHAME...

bing @ 14,

The word you're looking for is "presstitutes" to describe the sycophantic American media.

Also, in his defense, McCain probably hasn't seen or needed a condom in 35 years.

I've despised McCain due to his position on Amtrak for a long time (you know I'm a transportation dork, don't you?)

It wasn't so much that he was against passenger rail: That's his right. It was that he used Amtrak as a whipping boy for the usual suspects (unions being corrupt, etc) plus he used very bogus, pulled-out-of-the-ass statistics provided by places like Heritage, and easily refuted.

There's a lot of legitimate criticism that can be leveled at Amtrak (not being an idealogue, I can acknowledge that), but he was too dense or lazy to even separate the crap out from the real stuff. He just did it to play into his schtick as a "plain speaker"

This whole AIDS/condom thing (HIV/AIDS causes are another wonkish interest of mine) is pandering, pure and simple, and to be expected of him.

Remember, when someone has to tell you, again and again, that they're a "straight talker", they are usually full of shit.

I empathize with John McCain. I've lived through the entire HIV/AIDS epidemic, and, like the senator, I've somehow never managed to hear about it until that reporter brought it up in a question. How utterly shocking!

Am I right in understanding that this is a disease that kills people? If so, I'll have to look through my old emails and letters to see what my position on people dying unnecessarily is.

6, Jensen, nice.

McCain, try this next time: "Between my finger and my thumb, I hold a tiny bit of folded up paper with my position on it. Care to hazard a guess?"

How is it POSSIBLE that politicians continue to surprise me by being fucking douchebags?

They do. They continue to surprise me.

what a joke of a politician. oh, wait, that's an oxymoron. and a big moron at that.

mc cain lost the R nomination to bush --- after Bush was vile in trashing him in the Carolina primary

then, John Boy Mc Cain ass kissed Bush to a sickening degree - cheek kisssssing and all

at that point my somewhat interest in his leadership plunged to zero

this little anti science and anti education snippet is playing games with real lives - sick old dolt far right bastard

If he comes to Settle lets use the suggestion above and have the SHAME SHAME SHAME ad hoc committee meet him - could be fun

Silence = Death

All aboard the Pander Express.

The right wing doesn’t get it yet. The country is moving on. We’re over them.

This isn't the first example of this sort of evasive bullshit from McCain. I remember, in the lead up to the 2000 election (probably in the Fall of 1999), when he was on NPR's Talk of the Nation, and a man called in with an impassioned request to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the absurdly straightforward sexual orientation anti-discrimination act which still hasn't passed. McCain said something that sounded nice and sincere about how he'd have to learn more about the issue.

A few minutes on the net, however, told me that he apparently already felt he knew enough to vote on it--in 1996, when it had failed in the Senate by one vote, McCain had stood up to be counted and cast his vote aginst ENDA. That is, he voted to make sure that employers could still fire employees simply for being queer. And years later, he wouldn't own up to it.

Don't be fooled by the "straight-talking" maverick image. This is is not only a conservative, but a deceptive one too.

My question for mccain. Mr. Mccain, if I fuck you in the ass do you want me to use a condom or not.