McCain and the Latin American Spain

Andrew Romano tries to explain the gaffe:

Option One--McCain's stance on Spain has become needlessly derogatory for no particular reason--suggests that he's erratic. Option Two--McCain is willing to adopt a needlessly derogatory stance simply to protect against the perception of a gaffe--suggests that he puts politics before policy. Either one strikes me as a far more disturbing error than mishearing--or not recognizing--the name Jose Luis Zapatero.