The most expensive White House race ever is throwing up a rich catalogue of gaffes and unwisely uttered truths.
Republican candidate John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama have seen their campaigns rocked recently by supporters who planted their feet squarely in their mouths.
Former senator Phil Gramm, a top McCain advisor, undercut his boss’s fervent efforts to show voters he gets their economic plight when he declared America a “nation of whiners” mired in a recession of the mind.
PHOTO: AFP
Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson insists he is a passionate Obama supporter but seemed to betray his real views in a whispered aside on an open microphone.
“I want to cut his nuts off,” Jackson said, accusing the Illinois senator of talking down to black people.
These are classic examples of people blurting out things they believe, but would be wise to keep to themselves — or as columnist Michael Kinsley once famously put it: a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth.
Obama foreign policy advisor Samantha Power took a trip to Britain during the primary campaign and appeared to leave her discretion back home.
Power branded Obama’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton a “monster.” It’s a sentiment perhaps shared by some inside Obama’s campaign, but it jars with the high-minded tone he has adopted for his White House bid.
She resigned not long after that gaffe.
It’s not just surrogates who can get foot-in-mouth disease. McCain’s sense of humor sometimes causes him problems.
Last week, as tensions with Tehran flared, McCain was told by a journalist that US cigarette exports to Iran had soared. “Maybe that’s a way of killing them,” he quipped, before hurriedly adding: “I meant that as a joke.”
Perhaps the underlying message of all these missteps is that in a campaign as long as this candidates and their backers are bound to make mistakes. (AFP)
這場有史以來最花錢的白宮大位爭奪戰，頻頻傳出發言不當或輕率吐露真言的狀況。
共和黨候選人約翰．麥肯和民主黨的巴拉克．歐巴馬兩人最近都因幕僚失言而震撼選情。
麥肯的重要顧問前參議員費爾．葛蘭姆表示，心智衰弱的人民讓美國淪為一個「抱怨國」。麥肯積極想證明他了解選民的經濟困境，但費爾等於捅了他一刀。
黑人民權領袖傑西．傑克遜強調他是歐巴馬的狂熱支持者，但他卻在一支沒關的麥克風旁低聲說出「違心之論」。
傑克遜說：「我想把他給閹了。」他指責這位伊利諾州參議員貶低黑人。
這些都是人們脫口說出不該說的真話的典型例子；就像專欄作家麥可．金思利轟動一時的名言所說：政治人物說出事實就是失言。
歐巴馬的外交政策顧問莎曼珊．包爾在黨內初選期間出訪英國，結果她顯然把判斷力留在美國了。
包爾批評歐巴馬同黨的競選對手希拉蕊．柯林頓是個「怪物」。這可能是歐巴馬陣營內部部分人士對希拉蕊的看法，但卻有違他力倡的高格調競選。
她在那次失言後不久便主動請辭。
不只是代理人會說錯話，麥肯的幽默感有時候也讓他惹上麻煩。
德黑蘭上週試射飛彈造成國際情勢緊張，有記者告訴麥肯美國出口至伊朗的香菸數量大增，他就嘲諷說：「也許這是殲滅伊朗人之道，」隨後又趕緊補充說：「我說笑的啦。」
也許這種種失言背後的原因就是，在這種長期抗戰的選戰中，候選人和他們的支援團隊不可能不犯錯吧。
（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
A: Who are nominated for Best Leading Actor at the Golden Horse Awards? B: The nominees are: Jason King, Chang Chen, Neo Yau, Wanlop Rungkumjad and Zhang Zhiyong. A: How about Best Leading Actress? B: The nominees are: Patra Au, Kimi Hsia, Chung Suet-ying, Sylvia Chang and Sandra Ng. A: What are your predictions for the winners this year? A: 本屆金馬獎入圍最佳男主角的有誰啊？ B: 入圍的有：喜翔、張震、游學修、Wanlop Rungkumjad、張志勇。 A: 入圍最佳女主角的呢？ B: 入圍的有：區嘉雯、夏于喬、鍾雪瑩、張艾嘉、吳君如。 A: 今年你預測誰會得獎？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
It’s likely that you may know someone who has had their appendix removed, or at least you’ve heard of the operation. An appendectomy is typically performed when the appendix, a small pouch next to the intestines, becomes inflamed or infected, leading to severe pain and potential complications if left untreated. Fortunately, the procedure is very safe today, and patients can go on to live normal lives without their appendix. Yet, it still begs the question of how humans can continue living without an organ. The human body is full of various parts that scientists still don’t completely understand, and
Wisdom teeth are another example of vestigial organs. Why do humans have wisdom teeth? One theory suggests that they were originally intended to help support muscles and tissues in the human face. Another theory indicates that they were initially meant to aid our ancestors in chewing certain tough foods that grew in the wild. As our diets have softened with processed foods, these teeth may become less necessary. Removing one’s wisdom teeth can feel like a rite of passage for many young adults. At some point in their late teens to early twenties, most people will have up to
A: And which films are nominated for the Golden Horse Awards’ Best Narrative Feature? B: The nominees are: “All Shall Be Well,” ”Stranger Eyes,” “Dead Talents Society,” “An Unfinished Film” and “Bel Ami.” A: I heard that “Bel Ami” is a great gay-themed comedy from China. B: Yeah, and as many as 276 Chinese movies registered for the competition this year. A: The two sides of the Taiwan Strait have finally resumed exchanges in cinematography. A: 本屆金馬獎入圍最佳劇情片的有哪些？ B: 入圍的有：《從今以後》、《默視錄》、《鬼才之道》、《一部未完成的電影》、《漂亮朋友》。 A: 聽說《漂亮朋友》是一部精彩的中國同志喜劇片。 B: 今年光是中國就有多達276部電影參賽。 A: 海峽兩岸終於恢復電影交流啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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