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Gary Johnson: 'What is Aleppo?'
CNN)Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson stumbled while answering a question about the Syrian refugee crisis on Thursday, asking "What is Aleppo?" in an interview on MSNBC.
Aleppo is a major city in Syria that's been engulfed by the civil war there and the refugee crisis, but Johnson seemed confused when "Morning Joe" co-host Mike Barnicle asked him: "What would you do if you were elected about Aleppo?"
"About?" Johnson said.
"Aleppo," Barnicle responded.
Johnson paused and said: "And what is Aleppo?"
What parents in Aleppo tell their children about war
What parents in Syria tell their children
"You're kidding ..." the incredulous Barnicle answered.
"No," Johnson said.
"Aleppo is in Syria -- it's the epicenter of the refugee crisis," Barnicle said.
"OK. Got it. With regard to Syria, I do think it is a mess," the Libertarian nominee said.
Last edited by Goose (9/08/2016 1:27 pm)
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Geez. And, this guy is running for president?
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In the age of stupid you merely have to have a gift for sounding tough, or folksy, for disdaining knowledge and expertise, and for offering simple solutions to hideously complex problems.
Looks like Trump picked the wrong running mate.
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Unbelievable. Has this guy never read at least a headline about the horrid scenes of the children caught in the crossfire of war ? And this guy wants to be our POTUS. Not a chance.
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Johnson's gaffe was bad, but the statement he put out later in the day about it was actually very good. A lot of politicians could learn from the humility and honesty he showed.
This morning, I began my day by setting aside any doubt that I'm human. Yes, I understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict — I talk about them every day," Johnson said in a statement to POLITICO. "But hit with 'What about Aleppo?' I immediately was thinking about an acronym, not the Syrian conflict. I blanked. It happens, and it will happen again during the course of this campaign.
"Can I name every city in Syria? No. Should I have identified Aleppo? Yes. Do I understand its significance? Yes."
As Governor, there were many things I didn't know off the top of my head. But I succeeded by surrounding myself with the right people, getting to the bottom of important issues, and making principled decisions. It worked. That is what a President must do.
That would begin, clearly, with daily security briefings that, to me, will be fundamental to the job of being President.