SERIOUSLY, AMERICA – ENOUGH…
Sarah Palin is facing fresh embarassment after failing to name a single newspaper or magazine she has read about world events.
The Republican vice-presidential candidate was asked repeatedly what news sources she read to keep abreast of current affairs.
Her faltering performance came in the latest instalment of her cringeworthy interview with CBS News presenter Katie Couric. Last week she was seen rambling in response to Ms Couric’s questions about the threat posed by Russia.
Presidential candidate John McCain has been forced to step in and defend Mrs Palin, insisting she is ready for the White House and claiming she is underestimated.
Mr McCain said: “I remember Ronald Reagan was a cowboy, President Clinton was governor of a very small state that had no experience either. I remember how easy it was going to be for Bush One to defeat him. The point is I have seen underestimation before and I am very proud of the excitement Governor Palin has ignited.”
In the latest clip, which is already being viewed on video-sharing site YouTube, Ms Couric asks: “When it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?”
Mrs Palin replies: “I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.”
Ms Couric: What, specifically?
Mrs Palin: “Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.”
Ms Couric: “Can you name a few?”
Mrs Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn’t a foreign country, where it’s kind of suggested, ‘wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?’ Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.”
John McCain’s campaign is putting pressure on the organisers of the vice-presidential debate tomorrow night to go easy on Sarah Palin amid growing alarm that faltering performances in recent days have made her an object of public ridicule.
[...] Nancy Pfotenhauer, a senior campaign strategist for Mr McCain, has asked for fewer questions than might be expected on foreign policy in the debate. Pointing out that Mr Biden – chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations – would have an advantage on such issues, she said that the clash should at least be evenly balanced with domestic concerns. “The moderators will have some questions to answer themselves if they do go so heavy [on] foreign policy.”
[...] CBS is said to be planning to broadcast further segments of the interview in which she was apparently unable to name any Supreme Court judgments other than the Roe vs Wade ruling on abortion. An aide said that there was no fumbling on this question, merely silence.