McCain: "Economics is Something That I've Really Never Understood"

John McCain says that when it comes to economics he will have to rely upon others because, though he's tried, he doesn't really get it himself:

McCain said ... "The issue of economics is something that I've really never understood as well as I should. I understand the basics, the fundamentals, the vision, all that kind of stuff,'' he said. "But I would like to have someone I'm close to that really is a good strong economist. As long as Alan Greenspan is around I would certainly use him for advice and counsel."

McCain said his staff hates it when he discusses his shortcomings on economics, even though he has read widely and studied the subject. "I've never been involved in Wall Street, I've never been involved in the financial stuff, the financial workings of the country, so I'd like to have somebody intimately familiar with it," he said of a potential vice president. [Note: List of McCain's advisers]. [Update: Felix Salmon comments.]