McCain Disses Spain's PM, One Way or Another

John McCain seemed to say Spain’s prime minister is an enemy of the US during an interview with a Spanish-language radio station this week, Time reports. Asked whether, if elected, he would meet with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, McCain answered, “I will establish closer relationships with our friends, and I will stand up to those who want to harm the United States.”

The interviewer clarified that Spain was a country in Europe and a fellow NATO member, not a troublesome Latin American state—but McCain offered the same evasive answer. Spanish newspapers today are trying to figure out just what McCain might have meant with his swipe. “In the best-case scenario,” wrote El País, his answer “demonstrates his ignorance with respect to Zapatero.” (More John McCain stories.)