Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson said he was “incredibly frustrated” with himself after failing to recognize the name of the Syrian city of Aleppo during a TV interview Thursday.
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The now-infamous response from the Libertarian Party candidate: “What is Aleppo?”. It’s a twisted tale full of lies and deception, which ends with Nabakov writing that it “may all end in Aleppo if I am not careful” – just like Johnson’s political hopes.
While the Libertarian Party has long rejected USA military intervention overseas, the candidate’s failure to recognize one of the most troubled spots in the Middle East drew ridicule and prompted speculation that his campaign was essentially over.
Johnson expressed disappointment about the Aleppo lapse in a brief follow-up interview that was broadcast on MSNBC and canceled some of his other scheduled interviews that had been planned for later in the day. No”, he continued. “Should I have identified Aleppo? Yes.
Johnson “could not answer a basic question” the Times informed its readers in a report on the candidate’s interview Thursday on “Morning Joe”. Do I understand its significance?
He also suggested that the United States should “join hands with Russia” to bring an end to the conflict in Syria.
The question was “what would you do about Aleppo?”
“I think Gary just didn’t realize the context was Syria or geography or anything like that”, Weld said.
A Washington Post-Survey Monkey poll released Wednesday found that Johnson, a former Republican who is often excluded from presidential polling, is supported by an average of 13 per cent across all states. “Yes, I understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict – I talk about them every day”, he said in the statement.
“I blanked. It happens, and it will happen again during the course of this campaign”, he said. The particular phrasing, “What is Aleppo?” was succinct enough to fit into a headline or tweet, and even segued seamlessly nicely into explainer articles. The rules say a candidate needs to hit at least 15 percent in national polls to make the cut. It worked. That is what a President must do. I applaud the 49ers quarterback for using his position to speak out but he’s not running for any office, and probably doesn’t have any solutions as good as Stein’s Green New Deal or experience at solving issues like Johnson.
Johnson was talking politics with the “Morning Joe” crew when regular guest Mike Barnicle shifted gears.
That’s a very generous way to look at it, and hardly one that smooths this over for the candidate.
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But let’s be fair to Johnson: In the context of the 2016 presidential campaign, he’s far from winning the cluelessness contest.
