Barack Obama's and John McCain's Alfred E. Smith Speeches
Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain each gave humorous speeches at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. It was a rare moment of levity in the middle of a serious campaign. The video clips are below. You can see a transcript of Barack Obama's speech here.
McCain Jokes About Killing Iranians With Cigarettes
Funny or not jokes aren't always a wise move for a presidential candidate. Reuters reports that Presidential candidate John McCain recently joked about killing Iranians with cigarettes.
Presidential candidate John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be "a way of killing 'em."
McCain, known for acerbic comments and for sometimes firing verbally from the hip, was responding to a report that U.S. exports to Iran rose tenfold during President George W. Bush's term in office despite hostility between the two states.
A rise in cigarette sales was a big part of that, according to an Associated Press analysis of seven years of U.S. trade figures.
"Maybe that's a way of killing 'em," McCain said to reporters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. "I meant that as a joke, as a person who hasn't had a cigarette in 28 years, 29 years," he added, laughing.
There's no question that cigarettes certainly do kill people but some will likely see McCain's joke as insensitive. It was obviously a joke since a cigarette isn't really a very effective war weapon. It isn't easy for the candidate who are covered indepth by the press for every single word they say.
