Comments on: McCain’s Troubling HIV Answer

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 07 May 2007 19:45:32 +0000

dam I should reread my post before i submit…haha

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 07 May 2007 19:43:59 +0000

Good Point Rog and I would totally believe you except the reporter clarified his question by referring to Condoms specifically and John’s reply was “ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œGet me CoburnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s thing, ask Weaver to get me CoburnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. IÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve never gotten into these issues before.ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚?
John is admitting that has to be told what to say even on things as simple as condoms. This means if you elect him you will never actually know from where or whom is making the big decisions in our government. I would never trust this type of “shadow government”. Especially when there it is often necessary for Presidents to act boldly and decisively w/o referring to “Colburn’s thing” (I.E. Katrina, 4hyjacked planes, using a condom with interns, ect…)

By: Rog

Rog — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:55:18 +0000

I’m not gonna vote for the guy, but in his defense, this reporter wasn’t very smart and his question was worded very badly.

If I were asked ”
Q: Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚?

I would have to answer, “No, I think help spread it. Because in my experience men and women on oral contraceptives are generally the most sexually active and almost all drugs that help stop conception from occurring don’t affect HIV at all. Condoms, on the other hand, are the best physical barrier to HIV transmission.”

So, my point is, if you’re going to make fun of somebody for being “out of touch,” maybe you should look at the question better to begin with.

By: Adam in VA

Adam in VA — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 01:01:56 +0000

The question here should not be do condoms help prevent the spread of AIDS. I believe the major point to look at here is should the US gov’t provide condoms to Africa. The answer, quite simply, is no way! Why should my tax dollars go towards providing free condoms to the people of another continent. The US gov’t should quit taxing my to death and stop spending so much damn money on BS like this!

By: Noty

Noty — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:18:22 +0000

Umm..I usually hate republicans, but what’s the big deal here? :o)

The man isn’t informed on it; Condoms do help prevent HIV, however, possibly encouraging more sexual activity through the process of distributing them could be worse than not distributing them at all. He wouldn’t be a very good lawmaker if he blindly took positions on every subject.

By: Around the web | alexking.org

Around the web | alexking.org — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:39:37 +0000

[...] McCain’s Troubling HIV Answer – I’m really disappointed at the “what am I supposed to say here?” guy that McCain seems to have become. [...]

By: Prose Before Hos » the reality is that America’s position is undermined and nobody needs to understand that more than Americans

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:41:24 +0000

[...] You know what gets me excited about the 2008 Presidential election? That the leading Republican candidate, none other than John Bamboo McCain, doesn’t know that a fucking condom prevents the spread of HIV. And no, I’m not kidding: Q: Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚? [...]

By: peter

peter — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:31:28 +0000

This is one of those typical questions that reporters ask when they are trying to trap someone into saying something embarassing. The reporter didn’t ask McCain if he thought that condoms help stop the spread of HIV, but whether he thought contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV. It would be irresponsible of McCain to say yes, because a) he is not a medical expert and b) most contraceptives do not stop the spread of HIV (the pill, diaphragm, patch). It would be irresponsible for him to say no, because a)he is not a medical expert and b) some contraceptives (condoms) do prevent the spread of HIV. Thus, no matter what his answer, he will be criticized. Of course, if he doesn’t give an answer, then bloggers will decide that he is senile and out of touch.

Sounds to me like he knows more about contraceptives than most of the people on this website. I’m not suggesting that he is qualified to be president; he’s an ass for a variety of reasons. However, this is not among them. Some clever reporter tried to entrap a candidate he didn’t like, and anyone with half a brain and an open mind will realize that. The reporter is obviously supporting the distribution of condoms, which is the job of a lobbyist, not a reporter.

What McCain should have done is ask for clarification of the question. “When you say contraceptives, do you mean all contraceptives, or just prophylactics?”

By: bryan

bryan — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:09:24 +0000

I think he is being sarcastic more than anything. you people need to read a little past the actual words, and put a little inflection in them. since the reporter didn’t get the hint, he simply moved on to something else.
Don’t get me wrong i am not at all defending the guy. if he can’t stand for something as obvious as AIDS prevention and condom distribution when it doesn’t effect anything, i don’t want him in a position when it actualy matters.

By: Eddie Keator

Eddie Keator — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:22:26 +0000

Pretty reckless of a presidental candidate not to know even the basics to some major health concerns… oh wait – he’s following George Walker Bush’s exampla and it’s pretty clear that moron doesn’t know his butt from his elbow.

By: alec

alec — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:53:55 +0000

The guys like 80 years old, do you think he’s ever worn a condom or even used contraceptives before? Doubt it.

By: derek

derek — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 08:04:05 +0000

Seriously think about this for a second. The reason for this man responding in this seemingly ingnorant fasion is not becuase he is not aware and well informed of all the topics at hand, but it actually falls upon the fact that he considers himself a presidential canidate that does not need te buren of suedo solving issues that are not directly attatched to the war in the middle east. Fuck this Viet Nam phony.I need a fucking smoke…watch trailer park boys…and jump our border.

By: TheGolem

TheGolem — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:38:32 +0000

The only excuse I can think of is that McCain hasn’t gotten any since the invention of rubber.

By: Pietro

Pietro — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:07:03 +0000

this is what they say happens when your sex life dies. very unfortunate for Mr McCain… especially with one hand.

By: Stijn

Stijn — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:48:00 +0000

I think we’ve got another Dubya here.

By: Misreading

Misreading — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:55:00 +0000

Most contraceptives don’t stop HIV. Condoms do, but not all contraceptives are condoms. It’s not as simple a question as it seems.

By: anonymoustroll

anonymoustroll — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:14:39 +0000

I lost all respect I might have had for McCain when he voted for torture despite being a victim of it himself (to me it was fairly obvious where he stood on the issue, but he toed his party’s line right down to the point of crushing his own soul). You simply can not trust a man that does not stand up for what he truly believes in his heart to be true (torture is bad), especially when the majority of the people would have agreed with him. That’s the kind of spinelessness I expect from the current president and it is a leadership character flaw the United States of America should not have to endure any further.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:59:14 +0000

Isn’t it clear what’s going on? Obviously he knows that condoms prevent the spread of STDs. The question is whether it’s in his interests to acknowledge that. For many people (ie, the religious right), acknowledging that fact is tantamount to endorsing premarital sex. And there’s probably some very carefully chosen line which satisfies everyone, but he can’t remember it for the moment, so he prefers to say nothing. No Alzheimers, just political nonsense.

By: rolandog

rolandog — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:53:18 +0000

I think he’s avoiding a flip-flop…

Everyone’s got a stance on certain issues, but perhaps this was the ‘wrong’ question at the wrong time…

By: yortuk

yortuk — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:16:40 +0000

I wonder if his confusion stems from being unsure of the current Evangelical views on this and a desire not to step on any Republican toes. It takes planning and preparation to be able to answer in a way that pleases everyone.