DEBATE REALITY CHECK: McCAIN REFUSING TO MEET WITH SPAIN

October 02, 2008

Tonight, Joe Biden said: “John McCain said as recently as a couple weeks ago he wouldn't even sit down with the government of Spain.” [Vice Presidential Debate, 10/2/08]

The Facts: McCain Refused Meeting With Spain, Ally Contributing To War In Afghanistan


MCCAIN HAS CRITICIZED OUR ALLIES AND EVEN REFUSED A MEETING WITH SPAIN, WHO IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE EFFORT IN AFGHANISTAN

McCain Said He Wasn’t Sure Whether He Would Extend An Invitation To The Spanish President To Visit The White House. Q: “Senator, finally, let's talk about Spain. If you're elected president, would you be willing to invite President Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero to the White House to meet with you?” MCCAIN: “I would be willing meet, uh, with those leaders who our friends [sic] and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion, and by the way, President Calderon of Mexico is fighting a very very tough fight against the drug cartels. I'm glad we are now working in cooperation with the Mexican government on the Merida plan. I intend to move forward with relations, and invite as many of them as I can, those leaders, to the White House.” Q: “Would that invitation be extended to the Zapatero government, to the president itself?” MCCAIN: “I don't, you know, honestly I have to look at relations and the situations and the priorities, but I can assure you I will establish closer relations with our friends and I will stand up to those who want to do harm to the United States of America.” Q: “So you have to wait and see if he's willing to meet with you, or you'll be able to do it in the White House?” MCCAIN: “Well again I don't, all I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the hemisphere that are friends with us, and standing up to those who are not, and that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America, and the entire region.” [McCain Interview on Radio Caracol Miami, 9/17/08]

Ø Radio Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WItI9It_Swc

Top Foreign Policy Aide Confirmed That McCain Refused To Commit To A White House Meeting With Zapatero. “McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann said there was no doubt that McCain intended to say that he would not commit to a White House meeting with Zapatero. Asked to explain McCain's apparent shift in tone and position since April, Scheunemann said in an e-mail: ‘If elected, he will meet with a wide range of allies in a wide variety of venues but is not going to spell out scheduling and meeting location specifics in advance. He also is not going to make reckless promises to meet America's adversaries. It's called keeping your options open, unlike Senator Obama, who has publicly committed to meeting some of the world's worst dictators unconditionally in his first year in office.’” [Washington Post, 9/19/08]