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| US presidential candidate Gary Johnson fails to name a foreign leader he admires | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, asked during a televised town hall meeting to name a foreign leader he admires, struggled to come up with a single one, saying that he was having an “Aleppo moment”. | Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, asked during a televised town hall meeting to name a foreign leader he admires, struggled to come up with a single one, saying that he was having an “Aleppo moment”. |
| On Wednesday, Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld were being interviewed by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who posed the question: “Who’s your favorite foreign leader?” | On Wednesday, Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld were being interviewed by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who posed the question: “Who’s your favorite foreign leader?” |
| “Anybody,” he added. | “Anybody,” he added. |
| Johnson exhaled hard. | Johnson exhaled hard. |
| “Mine was Shimon Peres,” Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, interjected. | “Mine was Shimon Peres,” Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, interjected. |
| But Matthews pressed Johnson. “You gotta do this. Anywhere. Any continent. Canada, Mexico, Europe over there, Asia, South America, Africa – name a foreign leader that you respect.” | But Matthews pressed Johnson. “You gotta do this. Anywhere. Any continent. Canada, Mexico, Europe over there, Asia, South America, Africa – name a foreign leader that you respect.” |
| “I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,” Johnson said, then quickly said “the former president of Mexico”. | “I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,” Johnson said, then quickly said “the former president of Mexico”. |
| In the end he was rescued by Weld, who leaned over to identify the name Johnson was scrabbling for – Vicente Fox – and put Johnson out of his misery. | In the end he was rescued by Weld, who leaned over to identify the name Johnson was scrabbling for – Vicente Fox – and put Johnson out of his misery. |
| Weld was nominated by Bill Clinton in 1997 to serve as US ambassador to Mexico, but his appointment was blocked by Congress. | Weld was nominated by Bill Clinton in 1997 to serve as US ambassador to Mexico, but his appointment was blocked by Congress. |
| Fox, the former president of Mexico, has been extremely vocal in his opposition to Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the border between the two countries. “I am not going to pay for that fucking wall,” he said in February. | Fox, the former president of Mexico, has been extremely vocal in his opposition to Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the border between the two countries. “I am not going to pay for that fucking wall,” he said in February. |
| Everyone has a mental lapse once in a while – just ask Rick Perry – though Johnson’s foreign policy positions have often run contrary to received wisdom in the area. | Everyone has a mental lapse once in a while – just ask Rick Perry – though Johnson’s foreign policy positions have often run contrary to received wisdom in the area. |
| In June, Johnson told the Guardian that he felt the US “shouldn’t meddle itself or get involved in” the Israel-Palestine peace process. | In June, Johnson told the Guardian that he felt the US “shouldn’t meddle itself or get involved in” the Israel-Palestine peace process. |