Obama rally gaffe

Name recognition

Florida Republican Jim Piccillo is voting for Democrat Barack Obama and as such was picked for a high honor this week: introducing Obama running mate Joe Biden at a rally in

Tampa. Piccillo’s moment came. The crowd was cheering and signs were waving, and Piccillo gave a short, enthusiastic speech befitting a new convert to Obama. And when the time came to introduce Biden, Piccillo exhorted the crowd to welcome the next vice president of the
United States … John McCain! “It’s one of my most honored moments and one of my most embarrassing at the same time,” Piccillo told a
Tampa television station. Biden didn’t say anything about it when he came on stage, and Piccillo said he didn’t know he’d goofed up until he heard people talking about it on the radio on the drive home. Many Americans probably can empathize. Old habits — and political instincts — indeed die hard.

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