All information contained herein is sourced. I try to find government sources when I can; failing that, I retrieve them from the news media. If any statement made on here is incorrect, please click the "Contact" link above and let me know. If I have indeed included a false or misleading piece of information, I will promptly remove it.
FAQ
Q: From where do you get your information? A: Every piece of information I reference is sourced within the post. I despise dishonesty in journalism, and, while I wouldn't quite go so far as to call myself a journalist, I adhere to a policy of honest reporting. I always get as close to the source as possible, often providing more sources than the articles from which I initially get the stories. If something I write is ever found to be false, I will remove it immediately.
Q: Barack Obama has made mistakes, too. Why aren't you writing a blog about his missteps? A: Well, first of all, that wouldn't be nearly as lengthy or entertaining of a blog. Second of all, I want Obama to become the next president, so making a blog chronicling his shortcomings would be a bit self-defeating. However, if you'd like to make such a blog, please, feel free. If it's honest, I'll even link to it from here.
Q: Wait! You support Obama! That means this blog is biased. I shouldn't trust the information I get here. A: If by "biased" you mean that I support one candidate over another, well, yeah. I can't conceive of a neutral party taking the time to construct a blog of this nature. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't trust the information on this blog. As I said above, every piece of information here is sourced and accurate. If you find anything that's not, please contact me and I'll remove it.
Q: I like/don't like the cut of your jib. Where can I contact you? A: My e-mail is at the top of this page.
I wrote a while back about an incident in which McCain was unable to give his opinion on whether or not he approves of health insurance companies offering coverage for Viagra, while failing to cover birth control.
FactCheck.org looked into the issue, and it turns out that the claim that insurance companies do this is a bit spurious. According to them, 86% of health insurance companies do cover contraceptives. In that sense, the very question that was asked of McCain was somewhat misleading.
However, the strange part of this story is that the notion that health insurance companies engage in this practice was first introduced into the public eye by...Carly Fiorina, one of McCain's top advisors. As the LA Times reports , it was Fiorina who initially said:
"Let me give you a real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women. There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice."
Hmmm.
Note: This is a mistake made by one of McCain's surrogates, not McCain himself.
This video is somewhat self-explanatory. When asked by a reporter whether he thought it was fair that some health insurance companies cover Viagra, but not birth control, McCain stammered awkwardly for about a minute, then refused to answer the question.
There are a few parts about this that are worth noting. One is McCain's initial response: "I certainly don't want to discuss that issue." Why? Why not discuss that issue? It's certainly a relevant one, and the voters have every right to know what your stance is on it. "I certainly don't want to discuss that issue?" That's not the kind of thing a serious candidate should ever say when asked an earnest question regarding his or her policy.
Another noteworthy sound-bite is his statement: "I don't know enough about it to give you a [sic] informed answer." I'm unsure on what else Senator McCain would have needed to know in order to give an informed answer. The specific policies of the insurance companies, perhaps? Okay, fair enough. But still, given the fact the reporter didn't give him those specifics, the overall issue is clear enough: is it fair that health insurance covers Viagra but not birth control. Simple. The fact that he was unable to even give any sort of general standpoint on the issue is somewhat worrisome.
The last thing I want to point out is how incredibly awkward he became upon hearing the question. Admittedly, this isn't really terrifically relevant in regards to his viability as a candidate, but it's curious nonetheless. The woeful lack of tact that he displayed as soon as the word "Viagra" was mentioned is somewhat baffline.
I'll be honest; when you look at what he actually says in this clip, it's nothing particularly damning. He was asked about a fringe issue on which he hadn't yet formulated his views, and was unable to provide and answer. Fine. What's important to observe about it, in my eyes, is his overall demeanor. I'm not saying a presidential candidate needs to be a smooth-talker in order to run a country. I do, however, believe that they should be clear-headed and capable of coherent thought. When you combine this clip with all of the other easily-avoidable mistakes that McCain has made, he just comes off as senile, and a president should not be senile. This is a trend that we'll see much more of, as I continue to post more backlogged stories on McCain's screw-ups.