"The world today is neither"

From the long and winding U.S. campaign trail:

Mr. Rubio’s first priority will be to “adequately fund” the nation’s military. “This would be a priority even in times of peace and stability, though the world today is neither,” Mr. Rubio is expected to say.

How's that? The world is neither a "priority" nor a "time"?

Note that this locution is from a prepared speech text, not an off-the-cuff remark.

From his politics I would guess that Mr. Rubio believes that the world is not a priority. Only the good old US of A!!
Of course he (and his speechwriters) learned their grammar in this country.

{sarcasm intended}

I think he meant that the world is neither "peace" nor "stability".

When asked to point to a time when the world was "stability," (as opposed to "the world today"), Mr. Rubio said, "President Obama's policies are to blame for that."

hasn't he just elided the end of that thought "..peaceful nor stable"? we do it all the time in speech. Would you believe it? I would...

It is awkward. I think I would put his point, "Adequately funding the military is a priority even in times of peace and stability, and today the world has neither."

#4 > Sure, but I think the issue is that this comes from a pre-written speach, rather than from off the cuff remarks. I agree that much latitude is allowed in spoken language, but in this case a team of speechwriters/editors looked it over. Of course, it may have been left in purposefully to make it seem like off the cuff remarks rather than a pre-written message. I somehow doubt it, but have nothing to back that up with.

To paraphrase Mark Twain commenting on James Fenimore Cooper's prose, we understand what he means, but that is our merit, not Rubio's.