Just how stupid is Sarah Palin?

I'm not going to argue that Sarah Palin was qualified to be vice president, but I'm deeply suspicious of the story that Palin thought that Africa was a single nation, rather than a continent. I immediately thought of the apocryphal tale that Dan Quayle thought people speak Latin in Latin America. The Palin story isn't as funny, but it still rings a bit too good to be true, and I can easily imagine that McCain campaign staffers, fed up with her "rogue" behavior, would make her look as bad as possible (off the record, of course).

I'll be surprised if there's any proof of her geographical ignorance, such as a videotape of her saying, "Obama's father was from Kenya? I thought he was from Africa!" Of course, she probably can't disprove the rumor by pointing to some speech she made long before McCain selected her in which she ruminated on the different socio-economic conditions in Egypt and Angola.

Comments

[Chris VanHaight]

I am no fan of Sarah Palin, but I believe most of her problems were due to a lack of national political experience. If there is "blame" associated with her being picked, the blame belongs to the one who picked her, McCain, and who then threw her into the deep end of the pool without proper preparation. At times I do love to see the right-wing twist in the wind: Fox News is my favorite channel right now because they are all so deliciously bitter and disappointed (Schadenfreude is the sweetest emotion). But blaming Palin for McCain's loss is ridiculous and does nothing to help repair their political fortunes. I guess I should be all for blaming her, but it is too unjust even for me. Besides, I believe doing so underestimates her. In four years, with more experience and after years of honing her message speaking to various conservative groups around the country, she will be a force with which to reckon.

[Dunwich]

After the Couric interview I thought to myself that if Katie had asked her 'what do the letters in the acronym N-A-T-O stand for', Palin would have been hard pressed to get the correct answer. Or how about, 'where is the Vatican'?

The McCain staff apparently couldn't risk anything, such was her lack of common knowledge. But whose fault was that: Sarah's or McCain's? She was vetted, and they didn't care what they found.

[Chris VanHaight]

Dunwich, you are exactly right. What did she need to know about foreign policy as governor of a state that lives off its own oil revenue? The fault lies with the person who selected an inexperienced and unprepared running mate in the first place. I believe picking her was exactly the kind of risky, shoot-from-the-hip decision that many people, both Republicans (at least before he sewed up the nomination) and Democrats feared would be the hallmark of his administration.

[Werner Patels]

The jury may be out on her "Africa comment", but she also failed to name the three countries that make up the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA).

In case any of your readers have the IQ of Palin, let me give you the answer: Canada, U.S. and Mexico.