This Made Me Chuckle…

behold, the latest press release from the Republican Party of Wisconsin (emphasis mine):

RPW: Dean working damage control
3/26/2008

Contact: Kirsten Kukowski, (608) 257-4765

MADISON – With Howard Dean in Madison to do major damage control for the ailing Democratic Party, Mark Jefferson, Executive Director of the Republican Party had the following statement:

“With the Democratic Party in turmoil while Senators Obama and Clinton fight for votes from the radical left, Howard Dean now looks to liberal Madison as he tries to put his Party back on track.

But with threats to our nation’s security and economy, it is clear John McCain is the only presidential candidate capable of leading our country forward. As the Democrats continue to cater to the left and turn their backs on each other, Wisconsin voters will turn to John McCain as the candidate who can bring America together.”

Think about that…”with threats to our nation’s security and economy, it is clear John McCain is the only presidential candidate capable of leading our country forward.” Keeping that sentence in mind, let’s take a look at what John McCain – who according to the RPW is the only candidate capable of leading our country forward on the economy – has to say about his own knowledge of the nation’s economy:

November, 2005:

“I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.”

Now I’m sure you’re saying, “yeah, but McCain’s had three years to bone up on economic issues, so I’m sure he’s fully capable now,” so I’d point to what McCain had to say in December, 2007:

“The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should. I’ve got Greenspan’s book.”

So let me get this straight….John McCain freely admits he doesn’t have a good grasp on the nation’s economy, yet the Republican Party of Wisconsin has the stones to say he’s the best man for the job of leading our nation’s economy forward? To be honest, I look forward to a general election in which McCain’s lack of a firm grasp on economic issues can be brought to the forefront of the discussion, because the economy is shaping up to be the defining issue of this election cycle, and John McCain’s presidential aspirations could very well rest on whether he finally gets a grip on the economy.