Well not quite. But US Senate candidate Jeff Merkley found out today how quickly a foot in the mouth (not to mention too much food) can go not only viral but pretty quickly to the mainstream media.
The anatomy of a gaffe:
On the road visiting 100 towns in Oregon, Merkley might want to apologize to his would-be rural constituents for giving the impression that news doesn't quite filter out to the hinterlands. (Such is not the case.)
Being too busy campaigning is not usually a good excuse for being uninformed. While at what looks to be a nice, casual picnic gathering Merkley is stumped in an area he touts as being his strong suit, foreign affairs.
| [Two days after the invasion of Georgia by Russia] Questioner: With your national security background, what do think about what's going on in Georgia. Merkley: [munch... munch... munch] Questioner: I know you've been on the road, so you probably haven't exactly kept up... Merkley: I haven' heard about what's going on in Georgia. Questioner: What's the strategic implication of this? Merkley: So fill me on what's happening in Georgia Questioner: Well in South Ossetia, the Russians have invaded. Merkley: The country of Georgia! Questioner: Yeah, the country of Georgia. [laughter] Questioner: It's a different Georgia Merkley: I'm thinking, Atlanta? Jimmy Carter... I'll have to find out the details. I have been on the road the last few days. |
Video of the exchange (made by a Republican "tracker" was made public early this morning by a conservative media blog, Hot Air.
| Merkley flunks both Georgia test and table manners posted at 7:29 am (EST) on August 13, 2008 by Ed Morrissey The Oregon race for the Senate favors the Democratic challenger, Jeff Merkley, over Republican incumbent Gordon Smith, which normally would not surprise many given Oregon’s usual tilt to the Left. However, after seeing Merkley in action, even Oregonians have to wonder how they could choose him over almost anyone. On a campaign stop on August 9th, two days after Russia launched an attack on Georgia that captured the attention of the world, Merkley seemed stumped by a question about it |
Garden variety conservative bloggers couldn't resist but to pile on.
| Merkley messes up the "Georgia" question NW Republican "Oh THAT Georgia...I was thinking Atlanta, Jimmy Carter..." Jeff Merkley makes the big time. I thought that Democrat Jeff Merkley was supposed to be a crack at world affairs? Posted by I Am Coyote, Wednesday, August 13, 2008 |
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And then faster than you can say interweb mainstream blogs have the story.
| Merkley doesn't have Georgia on his mind Politico.com Oregon Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Merkley might want to take a crash-course briefing on the Georgia-Russia conflict. The Oregon House Speaker was stumped last Saturday when a reporter asked his opinion about “what was going on in Georgia” at a campaign stop Posted by Josh Kraushaar 11:30 AM |
This in turn becomes the source for the Oregonian's blog.
| Merkley video catches him behind the news The Oregonian Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, the Democratic candidate for Senate, now has to contend with an embarrassing video that caught him unaware of the Russian invasion of Georgia. The video first surfaced on a conservative site and was picked up Tuesday morning by Politico, a popular Washington, D.C.-based politics web site. Posted by Jeff Mapes, August 13, 2008 10:30AM |
I'm guessing we'll see this story in print tomorrow and on YouTube for all eternity.
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