Granted, U.S. senators cast many votes, and multi-term senators cast many, many votes. But is the bumbling senatorial amnesia so easily excusable? John McCain’s recent forgetfulness seems to extend beyond foreign policy issues with Iran and his past public statements on U.S. military intervention, now covering his policy options with respect to health care. Setting aside the Viagra question, is it really that difficult to remember why one would vote against mandating health insurance companies to cover artificial birth control? Why does McCain not “remember” what his current position is on health insurance coverage of birth control?
Here’s the part of the exchange to which I refer (McCain’s confused looks are going to be YouTube classics):
Reporter: I think you voted against coverage of birth control, [against] forcing health insurance companies to cover birth control in the past. Is that still your position?
McCain: Look at my voting record on it, but I have…I never, I don’t recall the vote right now, but I’ll be glad to look at it and get back to you as to why…I don’t–
Reporter: I guess her [Carly] statement was that it was unfair that health insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. Do you have an opinion on that?
McCain: I don’t know enough about it to give you an informed answer because I don’t recall the vote, I cast thousands of votes in the Senate.
As an aside, is a joke about “killing” Iranians tasteful and/or presidential? What about another earlier joke about bombing Iran? In any case, he again has to “get back” to the reporter with his position, presumably because either he has to catch up on current events or he needs a staffer to hand him an opinion. Lots of hope for November with these guys!
UPDATE: Now McCain seems to recall voting on legislation in Washington, D.C. on a day that he was actually off campaigning in New York.
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