Posted by Jed Lewison on Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 1:08 PM Pacific

Imaginary geography

Does it matter that for the second time in as many days John McCain referenced a country that does not exist?

Update: I made a map. Czechoslovakia peacefully split on January 1, 1993.

Update 2: Greg Sargent adds more context-

Around three months ago, McCain told Don Imus that he would "work closely with Czechoslovakia and Poland and other countries" to install the European Missile Defense System in Poland, according to the Democratic National Committee. (The slip-up was referenced elsewhere, too.)

And during a GOP debate in October 2007, McCain said: "The first thing I would do is make sure that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and I don't care what his objections are to it."

Sargent says "we're nitpicking a bit here." I know why he is saying that -- it's because he's a nice, decent guy. But he's not nitpicking. Seriously, McCain is saying his claim to the presidency is his foreign policy expertise...and he is still taking about a country that has not existed in more than 15 years!