Jet Lag

Probably the only fun thing about the primary campaigns starting so damn early is that we get to see all of the candidates' sundry mistakes, gaffes, and blunders lampooned on the Daily Show. Until the primaries close enough to become actually relevant, Jon Stewart is going to be my only source of news on the subject.

Bill Richardson has, for the most part, escaped the mockery that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert heap on much of the other candidates. But recently, he did something extraordinarily stupid, which I think deserved even more derision than it received.

The event in question, which was lambasted last night on the Daily Show, involved a gay TV Station Democratic debate in which Melissa Etheridge asked Richardson if he thought homosexuality was a choice. First he said yes. Then he said that he's, well, "not a scientist". Meaning, of course, "yes but I don't want to sound homophobic".

But that's not even the outrageous part. Apparently, in a clumsy attempt to backpedal, he now attributes his statements to not understanding the question because of jet lag.

Come now. Even if you had not slept for days, it's pretty clear what's being asked if Melissa Etheridge is the one asking the question and it includes the words "homosexuality" and "choice".

Richardson's excuse is an absurdity on several levels. First, of course, it simply insults the intelligence of anyone who hears it. But on a deeper level, we are considering this man for the office of President of the United States - a job that carries with it significant stressors and probably a lot of travel-related fatigue. If he "didn't understand" such a simple question due to a bit of jet lag, what kinds of awful mistakes would he make as President, at, for instance, international summits? Would he get us into a war with North Korea because he didn't get a nap on the plane?

Bad move, Governor Richardson. You'll have to do a lot better than that - or else the only place you're going to be popular is on late-night satire.