‘I Guess I’m Having an Aleppo Moment’: Gary Johnson Can’t Name a Single Foreign Leader

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/us/politics/gary-johnson-aleppo-moment.html

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It was, in Gary Johnson’s own words, another “Aleppo moment.”

During a town hall-style interview on MSNBC on Wednesday night, Mr. Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, was asked by the host Chris Matthews to name his favorite foreign leader.

Mr. Johnson, appearing flustered, was at a loss to come up with a name.

He grasped at a former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, who has been critical of Donald J. Trump, but was unable to remember his name without help — or the name of any sitting leader of a foreign country.

“I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,” he said.

Mr. Johnson was referring to a remarkably similar episode earlier this month when, during another interview on MSNBC, he was asked how he would deal with the continuing situation in Aleppo, the ravaged Syrian city at the center of that country’s refugee crisis.

“What is Aleppo?” Mr. Johnson said at the time.

Mr. Matthews, who was interviewing Mr. Johnson and former Gov. William F. Weld of Massachusetts, his running mate, live at the University of New Hampshire, appeared to stall to give Mr. Johnson more time after the candidate repeated the initial question, looking slightly panicked.

“Any one of the continents, any country, name one foreign leader that you respect and look up to, anybody,” Mr. Matthews said.

Mr. Johnson exhaled loudly.

“Mine was Shimon Peres,” Mr. Weld interjected.

Mr. Matthews clarified that he was looking for someone who was still alive. He then named various countries and continents — Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia — in an apparent attempt to jog Mr. Johnson’s memory.

Mr. Johnson then made the “Aleppo moment” comment, indicating that he was having trouble coming up with Mr. Fox’s name.

“But I’m giving you the whole world!” Mr. Matthews shouted, interrupting him.

Mr. Weld eventually supplied Mr. Fox’s last name to Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Matthews, apparently having given up on the presidential candidate, asked the eager Mr. Weld to name his own favorite foreign leader, looking to conclude a painful exchange that felt significantly longer than the 50 seconds or so that it lasted.

Mr. Weld paused for half a second.

“Um, Merkel?” he said, referring to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

“Can’t argue with that,” Mr. Matthews said, as the crowd applauded.