Indiana

MISSTATEMENTS AND MISGIVINGS

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Someone recently asked me what I thought when politicians misspeak?  I said “not much.”   It happens all the time.  Whether it’s Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John McCain.  I expect them to make misstatements.   It happens when you talk a lot and live in the age of YouTube and camera phones.

The trick is what you do afterwards.  You can try to clarify them like Barack has done with “clinging” comment or McCain with his “in Iraq for 100 years” comments.   Or you can keep repeating the misstatement as Hillary did with her trip to Bosnia. 

Fundamentally, I don’t think they change too much of anything.   What you take from these comments is pretty much what you bring to them.  If you like the candidate, nothing changes.  If you don’t like them, nothing changes. 

If you really want to know what someone thinks, look at what they write.   That is a lot more telling than what they say.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).