McCain: I'll Meet Bin Ladin, Any Cave, Any Time, Any Where

In a startling reversal of policy positions, presumptive Republican
Presidential candidate John McCain told a hastily assembled
Washington press conference that he would sit down with Osama Bin
Ladin and discuss ways to bring peace to the Middle East.

McCain had recently criticized Senator Barack Obama for his stated
willingness to meet with the head of Iran or the P.L.O. McCain said
that Obama's desire to meet with America's "enemies" demonstrated
Obama's "dangerous naivete."

When a reporter confronted McCain with his earlier statement, he
looked puzzled, peered over the top of his spectacles, and asked, "I
said that?" McCain shook his head slowly and added, "I have no
recollection of making that statement. I really said that?"

McCain sought to turn the conversation back to the issue of his
willingness to meet Bin Ladin. "The historic confrontation between
Islam and the West can be resolved on the battlefield or at the
conference table," he said. "Despite my military record, I believee
that military action should be the last resort, not the first option.
Hey, are you guys sure I made that comment about Obama?"

An embarrassed silence among the press corps ensued, until a
Washington Post pulled up McCain's earlier comments on her laptop
and showed them to the Senator, who read them, slowly shaking his head.

"That's the damnedest thing," he said, rubbing his chin. "I just
don't remember ever saying that. You guys weren't putting words in
my mouth, were you?"

"No, sir," the press corps mumbled.

"Hm," McCain said, looking frustrated. "That's kind of an important
thing to say. I mean, that's the kind of thing you'd think you'd
remember saying. This is happening more and more often to me.
Hell, I'm gonna be 72 this summer. I can't be expected to remember
everything."

McCain took several more questions from the reporters and then
adjourned the press conference, explaining that he had several more
meetings and appointments later that day, but he was unable to
recall what any of them were.