Is John McCain wobbling? He seems to maintain Spain is in Latin America...

In a protracted interchange with a Florida affiliate of Spain's Union Radio, Republican candidate John McCain persistently seemed to maintain that Spain is Latin America instead of in Old Europe.

It's yet another sign that McCain's grasp on the basics of foreign affairs is challenged, at best.*

From Juan Gonzales, a staff writer for the Daily News:

In an interview with a Florida affiliate of Spain's Union Radio, McCain was asked, if elected president, would he invite Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to the White House.

"I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion," McCain said. He then mentioned Mexican President Calderon, who he said "is fighting a very tough fight against the drug cartels."

When the reporter repeated that he was talking about Spain, McCain responded: "I know the issues, I know the leaders."

Asked again if he would invite Zapatero, McCain shot back:

"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 ."

Is the campaign strain starting to show on McCain?

A presidential campaign is a harrowing, potentially humbling experience, that's for sure. It demands a lot out of a man or woman.

But it's a walk in the park compared to being president for four years.



* He's made some egregious slip ups in the past, for example, repeating several times, even after being corrected, that the Shi'ia leadership in Iran and the Sunni Wahabist Al Qaeda have a working relationship, even though they are, in essence, mortal enemies. On another occastion he confused Russian premier, Vladimir Putin, with the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. (OK, that may be somewhat understandable, given the hand-in-puppet status of the former to the latter.)