This piece was originally published in the OC Register. Visit the link to read the whole article.
Three words were all it took for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee for president, to finally get his due coverage from the mainstream media. Three words, spoken on a morning talk show helped to awaken the members of nationally syndicated newspapers everywhere from their decades-long third-party hibernation, ears perked up like a bloodhound having just caught wind of a rabbit rustling in the bushes some 300 yards away. The three words, “What is Aleppo,” gave Johnson the attention he’s deserved since the beginning of the election, but not the coverage he would have wanted.
In the simplest use of the word, Johnson blanking on the war-torn city at the center of Syria’s refugee crisis was a gaffe. It was a mistake – a mistake that shouldn’t have happened, but a mistake. Johnson is familiar with Syria. He’s familiar with the refugee crisis, with the constant gas attacks, bombings and civilian deaths that occur within its boundaries. But in just a moment, he forgot the name of the city that has become the symbol of Syrian crisis, opening the door for the media to pounce. It was the perfect opportunity for people to play the “told you” game.
The man who has been largely out of the limelight the entire election was finally thrust into it for all of the wrong reasons.
Johnson himself said there was “no excuse” for his brain cramp. It was a gaffe in the purest sense of the word, and allowed many to point to a seeming lack of foreign policy understanding on his part.
Johnson’s Aleppo moment was called the end of his campaign and offered as proof he wasn’t “deep enough” to run for president. Perhaps unbeknownst to many, though, is how deep and agreeable his foreign policy actually is. The restrained approach that Johnson advocates for closely aligns with not only the current White House policy, but the belief held by 41 percent of Americans that we do too much abroad.
