Surrogates gone wild
Advisors to both major presidential candidates have veered off-message recently.
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Wesley Clark
retired Army general and an Obama military advisor
On whether McCain’s military experience prepared him for the White House: “I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”
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Phil Gramm
former Texas senator and a McCain economic advisor
On whether the economy is in a recession: “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. . . . We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline.”
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Carly Fiorina
former Hewlett-Packard CEO and a McCain advisor
On a sensitive issue for religious conservatives: “There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won’t cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice.”
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Merrill McPeak
retired Air Force general and an Obama military advisor
On attending classes with McCain at the National War College: “He was fresh out of jail, you know. Skinny kid. All beat up, of course, physically. But quite thin. They weren’t feeding him very well in Hanoi. He’s done very well at the dinner table in Washington.”
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