The Daily Background

I’m aghast. John McCain has no idea whether or not condoms are effective against STDs or not. Check out this exchange yesterday between McCain and a reporter on his “Straight Talk Express” bus:

REPORTER: “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?”

MCCAIN: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

REPORTER: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

MCCAIN: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

REPORTER: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

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.”

REPORTER: “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?”

MCCAIN: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me [Senator/Dr.] 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.”

Wow. I don’t believe it. Unbelievable. It turns out, McCain didn’t know his position on whether or not he supported using US taxpayer’s money to distribute condoms in Africa to fight HIV either (he does not, a spokesperson said afterwards, after looking into his voting record).

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog