What was Victoria Nuland’s role in shaping U.S. diplomacy abroad?
Gaffes
Doughnut Drollery with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Christie went on Letterman for the first time last night; showed he is comfortable with his bulging waistline.
Obama Comes to New York for Barbara Walters and, sorta, the United Nations
Though Gotham is full of visiting heads of government and state, the President is meeting no one this time around. Is it insurance against possible gaffes? Or just a broader excuse not to meet the Prime Minister of Israel?
Gaffes
Caught on candid camera, whispered into a hot mic or blurted out on the campaign trail, gaffes are what make a presidential race hum. Here’s TIME’s running tally of some of the biggest verbal blunders this year.
Did I Just Say That Out Loud? Romney Adviser’s Unerasable Etch-a-Sketch Comment
The Mitt Romney presidential campaign has been unusually full of sitcom analogies this election season. Earlier, Romney compared opponent Newt Gingrich to Lucy in the candy factory from I Love Lucy, and characterized Gingrich as “zany,” a la a sitcom neighbor. In a recent debate, Romney alluded to the wisdom of Seinfeld’s George …
What You Missed While Not Watching the Last South Carolina GOP Debate
0 minutes. The CNN spaceship is set to launch, with blue gels on the lights that give the auditorium an alien aquarium vibe. It’s the 17th GOP debate of 2012 cycle. Roll the intro montage: “Welcome to the South, the heart of …
Rick Perry Bows Out of GOP Race, Backs Gingrich
Rick Perry dropped out of the Republican presidential race and endorsed Newt Gingrich on Thursday morning, delivering a short, jaunty speech to supporters in South Carolina. “I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable …
‘I Like Being Able to Fire People’: How Romney Says the Right Thing in the Worst Possible Way
Oh Mitt Romney. The man runs a near flawless campaign. Every debate barb is rehearsed. Every stump speech is focus-group perfect. Every strand of hair in place. And when he does err, he’s not even necessarily wrong. He just occasionally phrases things so poorly that the sound of palms meeting foreheads in his campaign’s Boston HQ can be …
The Top Political Gaffes of 2011
Truly a standout year for the rhetorically challenged:
And before you get upset about oopses or omissions, we did a separate list of debate moments.
Rick Perry’s Astonishingly Wrong Answer on Pakistan
Over at Battleland, Mark Thompson, maestro of all military matters, marvels at the Texas governor’s response to last night’s debate question on what he would do if Pakistan’s nukes fell into the hands of the Taliban:
This guy flew planes for the Air Force? He wants to be President? His baffling, incomprehensible non-answer is akin to
…
Nine Epically Wrong Politician History Flubs
These White House contenders give historical fiction a whole new meaning. TIME breaks down nine egregious examples of the type of revisionist flub you can expect in 2012
Bachmann Channels the Spirit of John Wayne… Gacy
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsLfL9vMaUY]
Michele Bachmann rolled out her official presidential campaign Monday – not to be confused with the unofficial debate announcement two weeks ago – in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. (When Bachmann was still a child her family moved to Minnesota, where she would eventually get …