Eagleburger: I apologise. I did not intend to tell the truth.

The truth police have caught up with Larry Eagleburger. Yesterday, in a moment of candour, he said what all of us know to be true.

NPR: "Are you entirely comfortable with Sarah Palin as the Vice President of the United States? That she would be ready to take over in a crisis if she should be called up to do so."

Eagleburger: "That's a very good question. I'm being facetious here. Look, I don't.. Of course not."

There was always going to have to be track back from a statement as easily understood as that and, true to form, today the Republicans rolled Eagleburger out one more time so that he could explain to us "what he really meant to say".

Eagleburger: You are witnessing something quite unique -- a man who's about to talk to you while he has his foot in his mouth. I made a serious mistake yesterday. I was quoted correctly. I wasn't thinking when I said it -- in fact, I was discussing foreign policy, and this was in that context. And I was just plain stupid. And if I have given the flim-flam artist Barack Obama some success with this, I am deeply apologetic. I did not intend it.

He then emphasises the fact that Palin is "a quick learner" which is contrary to what McCain's own campaign have been leaking about her:

"Her lack of fundamental understanding of some key issues was dramatic." Another McCain aide quoted on CNN: "It was probably harder to get her up to speed than any other candidate in history."

Poor Eagleburger, forced to go out in public and spout nonsense that even the McCain campaign privately admit is false.

Tags: Eagleburger, Palin, US election 2008