# John McCain Has Got to be One of the Dumbest People on the Planet **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 30, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243 "2008-03-30T02:38:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/1 "2008-03-30T02:38:08Z")
[This Q&A with reporters](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/mccain-stumbles-on-hiv-prevention/) speaks for itself: > [@](#): > > ``` > Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?” > > Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.” > > (Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.) > > Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.” > > Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?” > > Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.” > > Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?” > > Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.” > > Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?” > > Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.” > > Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?” > > Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.” > > ``` _I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception_??? Is he for real? Oh. My. G-d! Barack Obama is going to make mincemeat out of this guy. It’s going to be like watching [Gore and Quayle against Admiral Stockdale](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Jbmaq4YHA) all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/2 "2008-03-30T02:47:43Z")
Although I am an Obama supporter, I have been genuinely stunned by McCain’s lapses lately. I had always thought of him as somewhat silver-tongued. What is going on with him? ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/3 "2008-03-30T02:49:45Z")
Holy crap! I wonder if there is a youtube of that conversation anywhere. This bit of snark in the comments section made me giggle: > [@](#): > > It seems John McCain has decided to abstain from independent thinking, which will hopefully prevent his spread during election season. > > — Posted by Jason Edited to add: Zoe, I’ve wondered about that, too. It does not seem like him. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/4 "2008-03-30T03:00:02Z")
I knew it wouldn’t be long before \*\*Shayna \*\* turned attack dog on McCain. She’s already done with Clinton, but I’m sure her marching order talking points are continuing to be emailed. That’s over a year old, so you need to update your files. So McCain isn’t sure about one of the programs that he voted for and wants to check on that before he’s caught in a “Gotcha?” What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/5 "2008-03-30T03:13:07Z")
First of all, you do know that Admiral Stockdale and John McCain share certain things in common, right? And that nobody could fairly accuse Stockdale of being an idiot? Perhaps you really ought to clarify that right away, because I don’t think you really meant any disrespect to Admiral Stockdale, but you’re treating him rather one-dimensionally, making the same mistake others made who only knew the man from his vice-presidential run. I recall in that debate that Al Gore made a point of mentioning how honored he was to share the stage with Stockdale, a Medal of Honor recipient and genuine national hero. Perhaps it would be a good idea to tread McCain the same way - idiots generally don’t learn how to fly A-4 Skyhawks. For as many problems as I had with Kerry, I never called him stupid. I think McCain generally answers questions rather directly - this one is sort of an exception to that, and may genuinely reflect the fact that the man hasn’t devoted much time to the issue. McCain isn’t as hung up on social issues as some other politicians are, and while the man is pro-life, he isn’t going to make that issue his crusading life’s work like a Rick Santorum. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/6 "2008-03-30T03:14:38Z")
Wow. I was always fairly partial to McCain, despite the fact I disagree with a lot of his policies . . . but wow. To be fair, he seems ready to admit his ignorance, rather than attempt to cover it up. But the ignorance itself just seems rather . . . stunning. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/7 "2008-03-30T03:21:11Z")
[QUOTE=HazelNutCoffee] Wow. I was always fairly partial to McCain, despite the fact I disagree with a lot of his policies . . . but wow. To be fair, he seems ready to admit his ignorance, rather than attempt to cover it up. But the ignorance itself just seems rather . . . stunning. [/QUOTE] Rather than contraceptives, they should have asked him about lube. He’s been using it quite liberally to placate the religious right. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/8 "2008-03-30T03:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] That’s over a year old, so you need to update your files. [/QUOTE] I look forward to holding you to this standard in the general election. > [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I think McCain generally answers questions rather directly - this one is sort of an exception to that, and may genuinely reflect the fact that the man hasn’t devoted much time to the issue. McCain isn’t as hung up on social issues as some other politicians are, and while the man is pro-life, he isn’t going to make that issue his crusading life’s work like a Rick Santorum. The man has been in politics for decades and he has absolutely nothing to say on the important and perennial topic of sex education? That strikes me as incredibly unlikely, but if true, still very damning. If he was just having an awkward moment, so be it. It happens to a lot of people. It is…interesting…that this moment occurred on an issue on which most independents and the religious whackos McCain has to court disagree. But that could just be a coincidence. And how about we agree now that not every criticism of McCain is impugning his patriotism? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/9 "2008-03-30T03:39:14Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] I knew it wouldn’t be long before \*\*Shayna \*\* turned attack dog on McCain. She’s already done with Clinton, but I’m sure her marching order talking points are continuing to be emailed. That’s over a year old, so you need to update your files. So McCain isn’t sure about one of the programs that he voted for and wants to check on that before he’s caught in a “Gotcha?” What’s the problem? [/QUOTE] That’s not really an excuse, though, is it? He either knows his own opinions or he doesn’t. This shows up one of the problems with a lot ofr politicians in general. They don’t really have opinions, they have “positions,” and their positions follow wahtever self-serving political calculus they think will help them the most. This is a perfect illustration of how cynical thjeir positions can be – McCain has to get somebody else to go check what his official position is. He can’t just say what he thinks. Even if this story is a year old (and so what if it is? The media dug up Michelle Obama’s college thesis from the 80’s, for Christ’s sake. McCain’s answer to a policy question a year ago is inifinitely more relevant than that), I think he should be called out on the issue again. If he really wants to stand by Bush’s asinine abstinence only policies, he should be made to explain himself, not just gloss over it with a “whatever Bush is for, I’m for.” On second thought, his constant “me too”-ing of Bush is probably great for Obama. This story reminds me of the '96 election when Dole tried to slip a question about whether cigarettes are addictive and got hammered for it. Some partisan positions are extremely stupid when looked at objectively, and are embarrassing in General Elections, but the candidates are too chickenshit to annoy their base by admitting something is stupid, so these kinds of questions are tightropes for them. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/10 "2008-03-30T03:41:05Z")
[QUOTE=Richard Parker] And how about we agree now that not every criticism of McCain is impugning his patriotism? [/QUOTE] How about criticizing him without calling him an idiot? It is a perennial feature of American politics that liberals call conservatives idiots and conservatives call liberals unpatriotic. Now, if you want to play to type here, be my guest - but I think most thinking people will find it tiresome. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/11 "2008-03-30T03:44:40Z")
Incidentally, I thought Admiral Stockdale dominated that debate in '92. I thought he was by far the most compelling, entertaining (in a good way) and honest person on the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/12 "2008-03-30T03:50:00Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] How about criticizing him without calling him an idiot? It is a perennial feature of American politics that liberals call conservatives idiots and conservatives call liberals unpatriotic. Now, if you want to play to type here, be my guest - but I think most thinking people will find it tiresome. [/QUOTE] For what it’s worth, I don’t think McCain’s answer was stupid, just kind of gutless. If there was any stupity involved at all, it was publicly admitting that he doesn’t know what all of his positions are. He was basically trying to avoid the question until he could formulate an official answer, but by feigning ignorance on whether condoms prevent the spread of AIDS, I think he made himself _appear_ to be either completely uninformed (which I don’t believe he is) or a liar (which they _all_ are to one degree or other). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/13 "2008-03-30T03:52:39Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] How about criticizing him without calling him an idiot? It is a perennial feature of American politics that liberals call conservatives idiots and conservatives call liberals unpatriotic. Now, if you want to play to type here, be my guest - but I think most thinking people will find it tiresome. [/QUOTE] That’s a total red herring. In this case, the politician in question was being an idiot. Any way you slice it, his answer was idiotic (politically or otherwise). If Obama comes forward tomorrow and declares that things were better for the US as a colony of Britain, I welcome your labeling of him as unpatriotic. Calling it like it is is beside the point. My request is that you (and others) not turn any criticism into an attack on McCain’s patriotism. One can call a military hero an idiot without impugning his service. Referring to his military career is not addressing the criticism, it’s diverting it. Military heroes can say and do idiotic things, believe it or not. Indeed, not only can they say and do stupid things, they can themselves be quite stupid. Fortunately for all of us, intelligence and heroism are pretty weakly correlated. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/14 "2008-03-30T04:01:51Z")
My point about his service wasn’t to illustrate his patriotism, but his intelligence. I worked in the air community in the Navy, and for the considerable faults of the various Navy pilots I met, I encountered no idiots. Most people are going to understand this on a rather instinctive level, so criticism of McCain ought to focus on other things. When **Diogenes** made a complaint that he was politically gutless on this issue, that was a much more accurate criticism here than one of idiocy. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/15 "2008-03-30T04:05:23Z")
One thing that liberals can’t quite accept about conservatives is that they don’t necessarily care about the minutae of public life, simply because they don’t think it’s any of the government’s damned business. McCain has spent most of his career working on national security, defense, good government reforms, low taxes, and smaller government. If you’re someone who expects the federal government to deal with sexual education, then of course you’re going to demand that your candidates know something about it. But if McCain doesn’t think the feds should have anything to do with it, why should he make a point of studying it? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/16 "2008-03-30T04:20:54Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] One thing that liberals can’t quite accept about conservatives is that they don’t necessarily care about the minutae of public life, simply because they don’t think it’s any of the government’s damned business. McCain has spent most of his career working on national security, defense, good government reforms, low taxes, and smaller government. [/QUOTE] You must be missing a lot of Yank news in your part of the world. “Conservatives” below the 49th parallel spend an inordinate amount of time expressing concern that sex education NOT be taught OR that it be taught as a simple matter of abstinence. (See the senator’s actual exchange, for example, or the various statements on the topic emanating from the White House over the last seven years.) The Right very much wants government to be involved in all sorts of personal issues–just not the same issues–or the same issues with the same responses–as the Left. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/17 "2008-03-30T04:28:42Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] My point about his service wasn’t to illustrate his patriotism, but his intelligence. I worked in the air community in the Navy, and for the considerable faults of the various Navy pilots I met, I encountered no idiots. [/quote] I have no doubt that the vast majority of Navy pilots have a high IQ, are quick-witted, or whatever it is you mean by “no idiots.” I have extreme doubts that none of them are capable of doing something idiotic, or even being generally stupid, in the sense it is being used here: namely, knowing nothing about, or pretending to know nothing about, something one should know a lot about. > [@Sam Stone](#): > > But if McCain doesn’t think the feds should have anything to do with it, why should he make a point of studying it? First, one needn’t “make a point of studying it” in order to have some intelligent opinion on the matter. Anyone who cares at all about politics has some intelligent opinion on the matter, and as a long-serving Senator there is no excuse for McCain not to have one. Second, even if in his envisioned Presidency he would make no decisions on the subject because he punts it all to the states (an impossibility at least as it regards foreign policy), he has had to make decisions about this subject in the past. So knowing nothing about it is very bad, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/18 "2008-03-30T04:31:37Z")
Is John McCain really “stumped” by the question "Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?” I think his response to that question is what prompted charges of idiocy, the idea that a man in his 70’s who has been a US Senator for 20 years doesn’t know that use of condoms can help prevent the spread of HIV. This isn’t a question like, should the government fund sex ed, or anything like that. It’s a factual question. He’s stumped? That could be characterized as an idiotic response, completely aside from whether the person who said it is an idiot. Smart people sometimes say idiotic things under pressure. However, I sincerely hope that McCain does know how the answer to the question; I suspect he is afraid to say so for fear of alienating people who disagree with the use of contraception. Not being a mind reader, I can’t say if he truly is ignorant about this, or if he’s just being gutless. Neither is particularly flattering to him, though. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/19 "2008-03-30T04:37:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] One thing that liberals can’t quite accept about conservatives is that they don’t necessarily care about the minutae of public life, simply because they don’t think it’s any of the government’s damned business. McCain has spent most of his career working on national security, defense, good government reforms, low taxes, and smaller government. If you’re someone who expects the federal government to deal with sexual education, then of course you’re going to demand that your candidates know something about it. But if McCain doesn’t think the feds should have anything to do with it, why should he make a point of studying it? [/QUOTE] I am fairly ignorant about American politics, so correct me if I’m wrong - but one thing that’s always confused me about Republicans in America is that they say they’re for small government while at the same time they seem very invested in people’s private lives (like the issue of gay marriage, for example). Doesn’t small government mean that the government does the bare minimum necessary to keep a country running, trusting its citizens to think for themselves? I don’t follow US politics all that closely, but I do watch the news in general fairly religiously, and my impression has always been that the Republican party in the US only preaches small government in terms of finance. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243/20 "2008-03-30T04:41:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] One thing that liberals can’t quite accept about conservatives is that they don’t necessarily care about the minutae of public life, simply because they don’t think it’s any of the government’s damned business. McCain has spent most of his career working on national security, defense, good government reforms, low taxes, and smaller government. If you’re someone who expects the federal government to deal with sexual education, then of course you’re going to demand that your candidates know something about it. But if McCain doesn’t think the feds should have anything to do with it, why should he make a point of studying it? [/QUOTE] But if he supports Bush’s Abstinence Only policy, as he says he does, then he DOES think the feds should have something to do with it. It’s a _federal_ policy, which appropriates taxpayer money to fund Abstinence Only (and _only_ Abstinence Only) education programs not only in schools, but also [to preach to adults](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-30-abstinence-message_x.htm). I don’t see how you can argue that the federal government taking money away from me to pay other people to tell _adults_ not to have sex jibes in any way with philosophy that people’s private lives are none of the government’s business. I wonder if **Tom** is right that you don’t really have a full appreciation for how relgiously puritanical and moralistic the GOP (starting with Bush himself) really is right now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-mccain-has-got-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-people-on-the-planet/443243.md?page=2)