McCain, however, is 71, and a physiologically old 71 at that.  I had read that his handlers had decided to limit him to one campaign appearance per day and to rest him on weekends.  It seems he's been doing much more than that since the convention, and many of those appearances have been raucous, stamina-draining events with Gov. Palin.*  It shows.

Whatever McCain's mental acuity may be, and it seems incontrovertible that he has some age-related memory loss, fatigue will decrease it (as it does with everyone).  He's not going to be able to handle the debates if he doesn't get more rest.

*OTOH I have to admire the way the campaign has used Gov. Palin to "spell" McCain during these appearances.  She'll warm up the crowd, McCain says a few words, then she takes over again.  

"Me reuniría con aquellos líderes que son nuestros amigos", "tengo que evaluar las relaciones internacionales, y las prioridades" o "mi historial es el de quien ha trabajado en una atmósfera de amistad con los que son nuestros amigos y de plantar cara a los que no lo son"

He says he'll meet with leaders that are our friends. That he has to evaluate international replationships and priorities. He says his history is one of working with our friends and facing those who aren't.

"Me reuniría con cualquiere líder que tenga los mismos principios y filosofía que nosotros y me enfrentaré a los que no"

He says he'll meet with whatever leader has the same principles and philosophies as us and he'll confront those that don't.

The article on cadenaser.com says that the reporter wasn't firm enough in trying to get a straight answer and because of that there's the possibility that there is some confusion. But regardless of that with his vague answers he was able to sidestep questions about his relationship with Zapatero and ultimately with Spain.

The article on elpaise.com has a quote that is a little different.

"Me reuniría con cualquier líder que tenga los mismos principios y filosofía que nosotros: derechos humanos, democracia y libertad. Y me enfrentaré a los que no."

He says he'll meet with whatever leader has the same principles and philosophies (human rights, democracy and liberty) as us and he'll confront those that don't.

It follows up with a quote from Zapatero on what his impression is of why McCain was being vague. Zapatero says that he understands that McCain has to be vague because he's in the middle of an election. Zapatero then goes on to say that his relationship with GWB isn't the best.

The article then says that this (McCain's latest comment)is a contrast to what he told the paper back in April where he said we had to let bygones be bygones with Spain and he added that he would like for Zapatero to visit the US. The article then says that among diplomatic circles that McCains attitude yesterday is being attributed to being confused because the interview was centered around Latin America.

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe there is bad blood with Zapatero relating to some incident where he refused to acknowledge the American flag as a protest against the war.  I don't know exactly what the repercussions were, but I seem to recall that Condoleezza Rice met with Zapatero a year or two ago and even that was viewed as a significant step in light of the frosty history.

So if I'm right about the context, the question of whether McCain would have Zapatero to the White House is not just a standard inquiry, but actually a pretty important question in terms of whether we are getting back to seeing Spain as a friend and ally again.  I don't know what the "correct" answer is, but it does strike me as a question that needs to be answered with a certain degree of delicacy, not a boilerplate response that leaves the questioner wondering if McCain even knows who Zapatero is.

But it is clear McCain had no idea who the reporter was referring to. The name "Zapatero" meant nothing to him. The name "Aznar" would have.  He did not hear her say Spain. Also, he did not understand what the reporter was saying. He did not understand when she said the words "Spain" and "Europe."

Finally, while Zapatero is indeed referred to as Zapatero in Spain and Latin America - his actual name is Jose Luis RODIRGUEZ Zapatero.

A) He's in Florida and wants to get every word in he can about topics relevant to FL voters, like, you know, Latin America/Cuba/etc.

B) Her accent and rapid speech make her very difficult to understand.

C) He either misunderstood what she was asking about Zapatero ("I talkibow d preside d Spai") or he decides to give the dude a political stiff-arm.