McCain mumbles
prevention/> March 16, 2007, 4:14 pm
McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention
By Adam Nagourney SOMEWHERE in NORTHERN IOWA =97 The unthinkable has happened. Senator = John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus = as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn=92t =96 or perhaps = wouldn=92t =96 answer. Did he support the distribution of taxpayer-subsidized condoms in = Africa to fight the transmission of H.I.V.? What followed was a long series of awkward pauses, glances up to the = ceiling and the image of one of Mr. McCain=92s aides, standing off to = the back, urgently motioning his press secretary to come to Mr. = McCain=92s side. The upshot was that Mr. McCain said he did not know this subject = well, did not know his position on it, and relied on the advice of = Senator Tom Coburn, a physician and Republican from Oklahoma. His press secretary, Brian Jones, later reported that Mr. McCain had = a record of voting against using government money to finance the = distribution of condoms. All this took place on the second day of the reprise of the =93Straight = Talk Express=94 bus trips that Mr. McCain made a central part of his = campaign in 2000. It also comes as Mr. McCain has eagerly been trying = to ease strains with social conservatives in the party who, for the = most part, do not support using government money to pay for condoms. A transcript of the encounter follows. (Weaver is John Weaver, his = senior adviser, and Brian is Mr. Jones, his press secretary): Reporter: =93Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to = fund contraception to prevent AIDS?=94 Mr. McCain: =93Well I think it=92s a combination. The guy I really = respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes =96 and I was just reading = the thing he wrote=96 that you should do what you can to encourage = abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that = doesn=92t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives = as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on = abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I=92m not very wise on it.=94 (Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later = looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.) Mr. McCain: =93I haven=92t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, = let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I = never got a question about it before. I don=92t know if I would use = taxpayers=92 money for it.=94 Q: =93What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should = they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be = Bush=92s policy, which is just abstinence?=94 Mr. McCain: (Long pause) =93Ahhh. I think I support the president=92s = policy.=94 Q: =93So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just = abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?=94 Mr. McCain: (Long pause) =93You=92ve stumped me.=94 Q: =93I mean, I think you=92d probably agree it probably does help stop it?=
=94 Mr. McCain: (Laughs) =93Are we on the Straight Talk express? I=92m not = informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I=92m sure I=92ve taken = a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position = was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception =96 = I=92m sure I=92m opposed to government spending on it, I=92m sure I support=
= the president=92s policies on it.=94 Q: =93But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually = transmitted diseases. Would you say: =91No, we=92re not going to = distribute them,=92 knowing that?=94 Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) =93Get me Coburn=92s thing, ask Weaver = to get me Coburn=92s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of = days. I=92ve never gotten into these issues before.=94 This went on for a few more moments until a reporter from the Chicago = Tribune broke in and asked Mr. McCain about the weight of a pig that = he saw at the Iowa State Fair last year.