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: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but