DC Trawler

Sec. of State John Kerry didn’t know he was expected to remember the names of countries

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You probably haven’t heard of Kyrzakhstan, but it’s one of the most dangerous places on Earth. It’s so perilous that you can’t find it on any map. It’s just that scary.

The Telegraph:

John Kerry has suffered his first gaffe as the new US secretary of state, inventing the nation of ‘Kyrzakhstan’…

The newly minted diplomat was referring to Kyrgyzstan, a poor, landlocked nation of 5.5 million, which he appeared to confuse with its resource-rich neighbour to the north, Kazakhstan…

Mr Kerry’s flub was all the more awkward, because Kyrgyzstan is a key ally in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and a major recipient of US aid, which totalled $41 million (£27 million) in 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9S6eDaxwCM

Oh, who cares about getting the names of countries right anyway? They’ll get over it. This’ll pass, just like the whole Borat thing.

I notice Kerry didn’t mention Libya in his list of dangerous places. Apparently, everything’s been going just fine there. But then… what difference does it make?