How Bill Weld Explained Gary Johnson's 'Aleppo' Fail

Campaigning to become commander-in-chief can be time-consuming, so much so that it's potentially incompatible with identifying a war-torn Syrian city that most recently made headlines for a chemical attack where victims included women and children.

Thus goes former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld's reasoning, called to explain why Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson was stumped by the question, "What would you do, if you were elected, about Aleppo?" in a TV interview Thursday morning.

Weld, who is running for VP alongside Johnson, responded to reporter questions on the subject after an appearance Thursday afternoon at Emerson College in Boston.

Weld also told reporters he and Johnson have discussed issues around Syria in detail, and he repeated Johnson's somewhat mystifying assertion that he thought the interviewer was using an acronym.

The two have been campaigning heavily on the credentials of their combined gubernatorial experience, and edging toward unprecedented heights in many national polls amidst widespread antipathy toward the major party's candidates.

But the mistake Thursday, widely mocked on social media via hashtags like #allepogate and #whatisalleppo, could ding the ticket's credibility on foreign policy.

Johnson later released a humanizing statement that took full responsibility for the mistake, echoing Weld's "it could happen to anyone" reply.

Read More:

• Libertarian Nominee Gary Johnson Isn't Sure What Aleppo, Syria Is; Thought It Was an Acronym
• Mitt Romney: Put Bill Weld, Gary Johnson on the Debate Stage

Photo via Johnson/Weld campaign