U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, who has argued she would be stronger on foreign policy than rival Barack Obama, stumbled over the name of the likely new Russian president on Tuesday while predicting he would not be an independent leader.
When asked at a debate whether she knew the name of the certain successor to President Vladimir Putin -- Dmitry Medvedev -- Clinton struggled to get it out.
"Medvedev -- whatever," she finally said.
Obama, who fielded a second question on the issue, did not pronounce the name.
In a campaign where the New York senator and former first lady has stressed she is ready to serve as president from the first day, as opposed to Obama, the scene was reminiscent of past campaign debates where foreign policy missteps have hurt presidential candidates.
That included the current president, George W. Bush, failing to remember the names of some foreign leaders in the 2000 campaign.
In Tuesday's debate, Clinton and Obama were critical of Bush's policies on Russia. Clinton said Putin would be pulling the strings, even though Medvedev is set to be elected as his successor as president next weekend.
"I can tell you that he's a hand-picked successor, that he is someone who is obviously being installed by Putin, who Putin can control, who has very little independence," she said.
"This is a clever but transparent way for Putin to hold on to power, and it raises serious issues about how we're going to deal with Russia going forward."
Obama, who has argued that Clinton's experience has not translated into good judgment, criticized Bush for neglecting the U.S.-Russia relationship after first saying he had seen Putin's soul.
"(Bush) then proceeded to neglect our relationship with Russia at a time when Putin was strangling any opposition in the country, when he was consolidating power, rattling sabers against his European neighbors, as well as satellites of the former Soviet Union," Obama said.
He said Medvedev "is somebody who was hand-picked by Putin."
"Putin has been very clear that he will continue to have the strongest hand in Russia in terms of running the government," Obama said.
Putin, a former KGB officer, has not held back about his feelings about the former U.S. first lady.
"A state official must at least have brains," he snapped at a press conference earlier this month when asked about Clinton's comment that former KGB officers do not have souls.
Okay, to be honest, I wasn't really that interested in Clinton's slip up but Putin's comeback really deserves some sort of applause. The man has a sense of humour, it's just really cutting...and sardonic...and sarcastic.
The irony of someone who feels 'entitled' to be president, will of the majority be damned, complaining about a foreign president being 'hand picked' for the position is delicious.
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HemlockGrey wrote:But it shouldn't. She obviously knew who the guy was, he just happens to have a name that's a little tricky to pronounce.
Then she should have stopped and then said the name again, being careful to pronounce it properly. Brushing off the mispronounciation by saying "whatever" demonstrates the same sort of casual disrespect for foreign leaders that Bush has always demonstrated.
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Oni Koneko Damien wrote:The irony of someone who feels 'entitled' to be president, will of the majority be damned, complaining about a foreign president being 'hand picked' for the position is delicious.
You'd figure with as much "foreign relations experience" that she's been crowing about, pronouncing a foreign official's name properly would be no issue whatsoever. I'd be a bit more understanding if this were some obscure lower cabinet member they were discussing, but since it's the successor to another nation's Presidency. . . .not so much.
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HemlockGrey wrote:But it shouldn't. She obviously knew who the guy was, he just happens to have a name that's a little tricky to pronounce.
Then she should have stopped and then said the name again, being careful to pronounce it properly. Brushing off the mispronounciation by saying "whatever" demonstrates the same sort of casual disrespect for foreign leaders that Bush has always demonstrated.
This was my point. Anyone can mispronounce a name, but to dismissively not care when you do is a problem if you're trying to represent yourself as a globalist.
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Hell, even an apology after the stumble would be good, something like 'I'm afraid I'm unsure of the correct pronunciation." would be better than bloody 'whatever'.
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HemlockGrey wrote:But it shouldn't. She obviously knew who the guy was, he just happens to have a name that's a little tricky to pronounce.
Of all the names that Russia has coughed up that are hard for English speakers to say, Medvedev is pretty tame.
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Medvedev, or Medvedyev as the news anchors pronounce it here is pretty fucking easy for a Russian or other East European name. There are much worse tonguetanglers out there.
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Edi wrote:Medvedev, or Medvedyev as the news anchors pronounce it here is pretty fucking easy for a Russian or other East European name. There are much worse tonguetanglers out there.
I've been trying to say it out loud for about 10 minutes and it comes out funky. I can see how she bungled it. But yeah, you either try again to pronounce it correctly, or you make some remark about not being able to say it in a way that illustrates no disrespect the way just ignoring it does.
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The thing that really bothers me about stuff like this is that you can tell she's too fucking arrogant and/or stupid to realize that Russian people can see what happens on American TV. Sure, in America she may win props for merely knowing who the guy is (as HemlockGrey so charitably gives her), but in Russia, she just insulted a national leader.
That's sooo reminiscent of Bush, who gives speeches in America as if the rest of the world cannot see, and then goes to other countries, acts as if he respects them, and wonders why they're not buying it.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Darth Wong wrote:Sure, in America she may win props for merely knowing who the guy is (as HemlockGrey so charitably gives her), but in Russia, she just insulted a national leader.
Be sure, it's being ridiculed right now all over the Russian internet
There's no kudos for saying "whatever" when you're asked about the name of a prominent Russian politician.
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But she's ready from Day One to lead......
All kidding aside, every time she opens her mouth she makes Obama look more 'ready' than she is.
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Darth Wong wrote:The thing that really bothers me about stuff like this is that you can tell she's too fucking arrogant and/or stupid to realize that Russian people can see what happens on American TV. Sure, in America she may win props for merely knowing who the guy is (as HemlockGrey so charitably gives her), but in Russia, she just insulted a national leader.
That's sooo reminiscent of Bush, who gives speeches in America as if the rest of the world cannot see, and then goes to other countries, acts as if he respects them, and wonders why they're not buying it.
The problem is that he may actually believe he respects them and not see his mispronunciation as disrespect.
Hell, at one time I was guilty of the same thing.
Though I will say that while I've since learned better, Bush has not.
That's sad when you consider that I'm an anynominious forklift driver in a 'flyover state' and Bush is the President of the USA.
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."- General Sir Charles Napier
one thing you can say about Bush was that he at least took the time to pronounce foreign leaders names first so he could pronounce them. Hillary, it would seem can't be bothered and would rather just blow off her mispronunciation as a joke.
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Darth Wong wrote:Sure, in America she may win props for merely knowing who the guy is (as HemlockGrey so charitably gives her), but in Russia, she just insulted a national leader.
Be sure, it's being ridiculed right now all over the Russian internet
There's no kudos for saying "whatever" when you're asked about the name of a prominent Russian politician.
Incidentally, where is the "russian internet"?
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Hawkwings wrote:Incidentally, where is the "russian internet"?
Well, you see, it browses YOU...
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I wonder if, when Hillery was young, she was like one of those dumb whores that go "WHATEVEEERRR!!!"
And it only further reinforces my mental image of her as that popular bitch-queen in High School that'd have a bitch fit if she didn't win the Highschool Prom, if she lost it to the much nicer nerd girl played by Sandra Bullock or something.
Medvedev, whateveerrr! Is a LOSER! Go hang out with the other dorks like Obama, loser! I'm Hillary Clinton and I only chill with the cool crowd!
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Hawkwings wrote:Incidentally, where is the "russian internet"?
In the .ru domain
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The really sad thing is that "Medvedev" isn't that difficult a name to pronounce. Nor is it a big deal if you mispronounce the name or do so and simply admit some difficulty and apologise for a bit of tongue-lock.
Speaks volumes about the woman allegedly "ready to lead from Day One."
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