Palin’s gibberish, pure and simple

From my belly dancing friend:

Subject: Ok, now Sara Palin is really scaring me!

I never thought we would ever see a politician as dumb as GW Bush

gain power again, but Sara Palin’s latest interview with CBS’s Katie

Couric proved she is now the turkey to Dan’s Quayle. Her star has

pretty much faded. It is turning into a Black Hole. She is not what

she is made out to be, nor is she what she appears to be. In fact,

she is just a curvaceous hood ornament. Please! This is not the time

for an Airhead Barbie to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

FROM Newsweek:

When Couric questioned her in her trademark sympathetic style. It

didn’t help. When asked how living in the state closest to Russia

gave her foreign-policy experience, Palin responded thus:

“It’s very important when you consider even national-security issues

with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of

the United States of America. Where It’s just right over the border. It is 

from Alaska that we send those

out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful

nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to<

to our state.”

There is, of course, the sheer absurdity of the premise. Two weeks

ago I flew to Tokyo, crossing over the North Pole. Does that make me

an expert on Santa Claus? (Thanks, Jon Stewart.) But even beyond

that, read the rest of her response. “It is from Alaska that we send

out those S” What does this mean? This is not an isolated example.

Palin has been given a set of talking points by campaign advisers,

simple ideological mantras that she repeats and repeats as long as

she can. (“We mustn’t blink.”) But if forced off those rehearsed

lines, what she has to say is often, quite frankly, gibberish.

Couric asked her a smart question about the proposed $700 billion

bailout of the American financial sector. Here’s the entire exchange:

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion

helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care,

housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more

money into the economy instead of helping these big financial

institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with,

were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the

taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does

is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is

needed to help shore up our economy, helping the about job creation, too, 

shoring up our economy and putting it back

on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and

reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax

relief for Americans. And trade, we’ve got to see trade as

opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs

being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as

more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job

creation. This bailout is a part of that.

DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT PARAGRAPH?