Fox: John McCain Has Known Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili "For 25 Years" — Since Saakashvili Was 16 Years Old?
Reported by Melanie - August 12, 2008 -
Updated at 9:40 p.m. ET
Fox is pulling out all the stops to try to make John McCain look presidential and worldly in the face of the conflict in Georgia. As a matter of fact, one would think he is the president. Over the course of three segments on the issue today (August 12, 2008) on Your World w/Neil Cavuto, George Bush was mentioned only once, in passing, in a negative way.
But, one wonders if they're stretching the truth, ah, just a bit. Don't get me wrong. I'm just sayin' that this sounds mighty suspicious:
Carl Cameron interviewed John McCain at a campaign stop in York, Pennsylvania today. Appearing on Your World, he gave the audience a taste of what they discussed (I got the impression a long interview would be broadcast later on Fox, though neither Cameron nor Cavuto said when). This is part of what Cameron said: "Senator McCain actually talked to president Saakashvili [Georgia's president] every day since the invasion by Russia into Georgia took place. He calls the Georgia president a friend. Says he's known him for 25 years, ah, calls him Misha, the nickname of Mikheil."
Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili is 41 years old. That would mean that John McCain claims to have known Saakashvili since Saakashvili was 16? No doubt crack reporter Campaign Carl found this "fact" to be odd and at some point in the as yet unseen interview he asked McCain to elaborate and explain how this relationship came to be. After all, Fox wouldn't want what might be an exaggeration to be reported as fact now, would it?
UPDATE / 9:40 p.m ET: John McCain flubs "Misha's" name three times, but McCain has known him "for 25 years?"
