“And what is Aleppo?”.
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When MSNBC journalist Mike Barnicle asked him what he would do about the crisis in the devastated Syrian city, Johnson replied, “What is Aleppo?” – with an incredulous Barnicle responding, “You’re kidding me”.
“Okay Aleppo. But I think more important is understanding the policies that underly Syria right now”, Johnson said.
“Well, with regard to Syria, I do think that it’s a mess and that the only way that we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russian Federation to diplomatically bring that at an end”.
The former Republican Massachusetts governor said he remains hopeful Johnson will be allowed on the debate stage alongside Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, has been trying to turn the two major candidates’ low approval ratings to his advantage in the race to win the November 8 election. He. needs to average 15% from voters in the polls leading up to the September 26th debate. On Wednesday night, Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, publicly called for Johnson and Weld to be included in the presidential debates. Romney, a leading Republican critic of Trump, stopped short of endorsing the Libertarian ticket.
In a later interview with Bloomberg News, Johnson admitted he was “incredibly frustrated” with himself and admitted he was surprised “at a time of little clarity”. “I understand the significance”.
But if you are one of those thinking about staying at home I urge you to vote, even for someone sane and honest like Johnson.
He was asked on Morning Joe Thursday what he would do about Aleppo if he were elected.
“Can I name every city in Syria? No”. “Well, no, I do understand Aleppo, and I understand the crisis that is going on”, he said.
“As Governor, there were many things I didn’t know off the top of my head”, Johnson said in a statement. He said he was “guilty” of not remembering that Aleppo is a central city in the Syrian conflict. “We care so much about these issues, and I want you to know that I really, really care about these issues”. “It worked. That is what a President must do”.
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“You do occasionally blank”, Weld said in response to a student’s question. If Johnson’s team is smart, they will book as many media interviews they can off of this. But the gaffe, while embarrassing, may not have a significant impact on the fate of Johnson’s campaign, as experts say foreign policy doesn’t typically play a large role in the outcome of elections.
