November 5, 1999
Web posted at: 3:29 p.m. EST (2029 GMT)

The front-runner for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination faltered Thursday in an international affairs pop quiz posed by Andy Hiller, a political reporter for WHDH-TV in Boston.

Hiller asked Bush to name the leaders of Chechnya, Taiwan, India and Pakistan. Bush was only able to give a partial response to the query on the leader of Taiwan, referring to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui simply as "Lee." He could not name the others.

"Can you name the general who is in charge of Pakistan?" Hiller asked, inquiring about Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, who seized control of the country October 12.

"Wait, wait, is this 50 questions?" asked Bush.

Hiller replied: "No, it's four questions of four leaders in four hot spots."

Bush turned the tables on Hiller, though, asking him if he could name the foreign minister of Mexico. Hiller said he could not, but also added he wasn't running for president.

Bush replied: "What I'm suggesting to you is that (because) you can't name the foreign minister of Mexico, therefore you're not capable of what you do. But the truth of the matter is you are, whether you can or not."

Clinton was relatively kind in his response to Bush's comments.

In an interview taped for ABC's "Good Morning America" aboard Air Force One, the president said: "I think as a presidential candidate, for the main trouble spots of the world, he should and probably will pick up those (names) ... But the most important thing is do you have a clear idea of what the world should look like and what America's policies ought to be in those areas?"

The campaign of Vice President Al Gore was a bit more harsh in its assessments of Bush's answers, saying the vice president could have answered all four questions correctly.

"I guess we know that 'C' at Yale was a gentleman's 'C,"' said Gore spokesman Chris Lehane. Bush has said he was a 'C' student while he was in college.

Bush's campaign spokeswoman defended the governor's performance. "The person who is running for president is seeking to be the leader of the free world, not a Jeopardy contestant," said Karen Hughes, communications director for the Bush campaign.

"I would venture to guess that 99.9 percent of most Americans and probably most candidates could not answer who is the president of Chechnya," Hughes added.

Bush has previously run into difficulties on international affairs. He once confused the European nations of Slovakia and Slovenia, and has referred to Greeks mistakenly as Grecians, Kosovarians instead of Kosovars, and East Timorians instead of East Timorese.

Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post's media critic and co-host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," said the questions were an attempt to play into a belief among journalists that Bush is inexperienced in international issues.

"The questions were a little unfair but welcome to the big leagues, this is the kind of thing you expect when you run for president," he said.

Kurtz also noted that he had conduced a very informal survey of journalists and none were able to name all four leaders. As Texas governor, Bush hasn't had to deal with international issues like another former governor-turned-president.

"Most governors don't have armies, they don't have a lot of chance to play on the world stage, Bill Clinton didn't either as governor of Arkansas," he said.

Kurtz said Bush has enjoyed a "tremendous ride in the press" due to his record fund-raising, front-runner status and his ability to deal with reporters. He forecast no serious fallout from the interview for Bush, but added that could change if the governor is seen as lacking depth on issues.

"But if this is the tip of the iceberg, in other words, if there are more moments in debates or other interviews, where he seems not to have a grasp, sure, that could be a major problem," Kurtz said. "But that will depend on whether this sort of thing ... resonates with voters. It may not, this may be a media flap, it may be a one-day story."

Bush, in answering the question about the leader of Pakistan, also said: "The new Pakistani general, he's just been elected -- not elected, this guy took over office. It appears this guy is going to bring stability to the country and I think that's good news for the subcontinent."

Gore released a statement Friday taking Bush to task for his comments on Pakistan's recent coup.

"I find it troubling that a candidate for president in our country -- the world's oldest democracy -- would characterize the military takeover as "good news," Gore said. "Further, I find it even more disturbing that he made these comments about a nation that just last year tested nuclear weapons -- shortly after voicing his public opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

A spokesman for President Clinton also criticized Bush's comments.

"It is very dangerous for this country to condone the overthrow of democratically elected governments," said David Leavy, spokesman for the National Security Council.

Hughes said Bush was not endorsing the coup, but was stating his interpretation of events as they stand.

"Neither he nor the United States government supports a coup -- the overthrow of a democratically elected government," Hughes said. "What he was speaking to was what appears to be an encouraging prospect, that what has happened appears to have brought stability and resulted in an easing of tensions between Pakistan and India."

Hughes said Musharraf "has said he's committed to reinstating democratically elected government, and he seems to have brought stability to a country that had been in turmoil, and Governor Bush hopes he is committed to keeping that promise."

The Clinton Administration has expressed disappointment that Musharraf has not offered a timetable for restoring democracy in Pakistan, but U.S. officials have not been alarmed at the military coup, describing Musharraf as reasonable.

Hiller, who interviewed Bush during a break in the Bush's visit to New Hampshire, is known locally for asking sassy questions of political leaders.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Friday, November 5, 1999

• Satisfied Senate committee goes easy on Moseley-Braun
• House passes compromise international aid bill
• In San Francisco, it's Brown vs. Ammiano in runoff
• Bush fails reporter's pop quiz on international leaders
• NHPrimary.com: Under new plan, state stays first on primary calendar
• White House and congressional leaders reach late-night spending deal
• EMILY's List backing first lady's Senate bid
• Most GOP rivals agree to December 13 Iowa debate
• Parker fighting for Mississippi governor's office
• Bush pledges to avoid Louisiana caucuses
• Governor's post-election 'Free at last' comments rile NAACP
• Clinton, Hastert cooperate on revitalization incentives
• Whopper of a farm deal draws Clinton praise, visit
• Medicare and Medicaid are targets of organized crime

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