Czech, er check, er Slovak

This guy McCain claims foreign policy expertise, yet can't get his countries straight. This following item was in today's Wall Street Journal (Washington Wire: Political Insight and Analysis From The Wall Street Journal’s Capital Bureau). It needs little commentary, except that perhaps McCain is old, and his memory is failing. No one will say that in public, of course.

McCain Slips Again on Czech Republic

Corey Dade reports from Albuquerque, N.M., on the presidential race.

Sen. John McCain devoted most of his speech in Albuquerque today to international affairs, from Iraq and Afghanistan to his pledge to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Just don’t ask him to say “Czech Republic.”

The expected Republican nominee again identified the Czech Republic as Czechoslovakia – a day after a similar slip. The repeated error could hurt his argument that he’s the more experienced foreign policy hand – the centerpiece of his campaign against Sen. Barack Obama.

Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993. His press office knows that, and in a statement Monday evening, it correctly referred to the Czech Republic.

Taking questions at the town hall meeting today, McCain lamented America’s reliance on foreign oil and the political perils that could result. He invoked Russia as an example of a nation cutting oil supply to “Czechoslovakia” in response to political differences between the two countries.

TalkingPointsMemo noted that a few months ago, McCain told talk radio host Don Imus that he would “work closely with Czechoslovakia and Poland and other countries” to install the European Missile Defense System in Poland. At a Republican primary debate last October, he said, “The first thing I would do is make sure that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and I don’t care what his objections are to it.”