Want to know whether the rest of the world is paying attention to the American election? Well, a top ten list of the candidate's most egregious and ill-judged attempts at humour indicates more than a passing interest here in the UK.
The London Times' Times Online now features a In bad taste: John McCain's 10 worst jokes by Hannah Strange. I'll excerpt only the top 3 "jokes" and the titles of the others for fair use, but worth reading the whole list to remind yourself how the world will judge and revile America if McCain succeeds Bush as president.
Today, liberal tempers flared once again after the Republican nominee quipped that Guantanamo was "one of the nicest places in the world to live in" during a Q&A at the Aspen Institute (see the video below). So on the occasion of this latest demonstration of his legendary humour, we’ve compiled a list of McCain's ten worst "jokes".
- The rape joke. During his 1986 Senate campaign, he told the following joke in front of a number of journalists: "Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, 'Where is that marvelous ape?'"
- The "Bomb Iran" song. Earlier in his presidential campaign, McCain was asked by a participant at a town hall meeting when the US "should send an air mail message to Tehran". He replied: "Do you know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran?" before proceeding to sing "Bomb bomb bomb" to the tune of the hit Barbara-Ann
- The one about killing Iranians. In July, McCain was asked by reporters on the campaign trail about data showing a ten-fold increase in US exports to Iran during Bush’s presidency, with a particular rise in tobacco exports. "Maybe that’s a way of killing them," he replied, chuckling awhile before adding: "I meant that as a joke." Iran, understandably, was not so amused.
The rest of the list is comprised of:
- The Chelsea Clinton joke
- The one about waterboarding
- The other ones about waterboarding
- The Fidel joke
- The Alzheimers jibe
- The IED joke
- The one about the French
But despite his penchant for a little not-so-gentle ribbing, McCain doesn't cope very well on the receiving end. During his 1992 Senate campaign, a little inter-spousal teasing got out of control when, in front of aides and three reporters, his wife Cindy playfully twirled his hair and noted that he was thinning a little on top. His reply? "At least I don't plaster make-up on like a trollop, you c**t."
How McCain got nominated at all says way too much about the failures of the American political process and the peril of American democracy as a system for representing the interests of the people and controlling abuse of government by an entrenched elite. That McCain gets away with this sick humour says way too much about the complicity of a GOP-owned media.
If McCain is elected president, expect the rest of the world to move toward some variation of Turkey's call for a new world order that will attempt to marginalise and constrain American influence and use of force. It might not be a bad idea for Americans to rally behind that too.