Africa Not a Continent? Can't Name Members of NAFTA? Palin's Lack of Knowledgeability Comes to Light
*Awakening Was Short-Lived* Melissa McEwan Shakesville Last night, Fox News's Carl Cameron reported that "there was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lacked a degree of knowledgability<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/05/palin-africa-continent/>[sic] necessary to be a running mate, vice president, and a heartbeat away from the Presidency." For example, aides said Palin did not know that Africa was a continent<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/05/palin-didnt-know-africa-i_n_141653.html>, rather than a country. According to ABC News, Palin dismissed the internal criticism and refused to comment on the specific allegations: PALIN: *That's kind of a small, evidently bitter type of person who would anonymously charge something foolish like that*, that I perhaps didn't know an answer to a question. So until I know who is talking about it, I won't have a comment on false allegations. The explosive claims — including that Palin could not name the signatories to NAFTA and that she refused to prepare<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/05/palin-didnt-know-africa-i_n_141653.html>before her Katie Couric interviews — are the latest <http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/28/palin-whack-job/> signs<http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/25/palin.tension/index.html>of infighting <http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/26/rove-loyalty-discipline/>and finger-pointing among McCain campaign staffers, not to mention evidence that Palin was difficult to control. For example, Newsweek and the New York Times are reporting that Palin spent far more<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/05/palin-clothes/>than the originally-reported $150,000 on clothing, including spending on shoes, jewelry, and even luggage<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06mccain.html?hp>. While Palin's astounding misunderstanding of the basic nature of Africa has not yet been confirmed, it certainly would not deviate from her demonstrated lack of fundamental knowledge about the world: – Palin suggested the U.S. shares a border with Afghanistan, calling it "our neighboring country<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/06/palin-neighboring-country/>." – Palin touted <http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/25/palin-near-russia/> her foreign policy experience by explaining, "You can actually see Russia<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/12/palin-national-security/>from land here in Alaska." – Palin suggested the U.S. was in a war with Iran<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/01/palin-iran-war/>. – Palin claimed that "Putin rears his head<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/25/eveningnews/main4479062.shtml>and comes into the airspace of the United States of America," though there have been no Russian incursions<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/01/airforce-russia-palin/>of American airspace during Palin's tenure. The fact that Palin thought, for example, that South Africa was just a region of the larger country of Africa makes McCain's claim to have "turned to her for advice <http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/01/mccain-palin-advice/>" on foreign policy "many times" that much more implausible — or frightening. <http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/106177/africa_not_a_continent__can%27t_name_members_of_nafta__palin%27s_lack_of_knowledgeability_comes_to_light/&title=Africa Not a Continent? Can't Name Members of NAFTA? Palin's Lack of Knowledgeability Comes to Light&bodytext=The Palin blame game begins among McCain staffers.&topic=politics> *Ali Frick is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.* -- James Michael --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
