Sarah Palin may be the new darling of the media, but that attention comes with a price. At some point glowing hagiography dims into scrutiny. Yesterday, the Republican vice-presidential candidate showed why the initial "Palin bump" in support for McCain is not as substantial as it seems. In her first public interview since her nomination, Palin was found out by a surprisingly serious and probing Charles Gibson (this was the same interviewer who brought shame on the fourth estate by making Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton talk about flag lapel pins). She was floundering in her answers, her nervousness thinly veiled by a tightly set jaw and the excessive repetition of the interviewer's name. Amongst a number of cringe-worthy moments, her ignorance of the content of the Bush doctrine (video below) and subsequent evasiveness stand out. Like a frustrated schoolteacher, Gibson cut her short, saying that he was "lost in a blizzard" of Palin's words.
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I found this interview to be quite incredible. It's worth watching the entire thing in full if you really feel like scaring yourself. It's not just that she is ignorant of certain points of foreign policy, it's that she displays less knowledge than the average news-watcher who takes a passing interest in foreign affairs. She clearly takes no interest. Debate around the legitimacy of the "preventive" use of force has dominated foreign policy discussion for the last six years! When he explains the Bush doctrine she then starts talking about pre-emptive use of force - something that is obviously different. (The point is well made here.)
As you say she is inarticulate (almost as bad as Bush). She simply trots out endless cliches and vague nonsense. "Energy is the foundation of national security" er...what? Knowing about drilling in Alaska qualifies you to run the most powerful military machine that has ever existed does it, Sarah?
I think I'm going to be watching the rest of this election campaign through clenched fingers....
The jargon-riddled ineptitude is breathtaking. Very, very scary.
If the future of The United States of America is going to be up to Sarah Palin, who is clueless about everything that is going on except in Alaska, and John Mc Cain who is as dumb as George Bush, May God help us all. Obama / Biden 2008
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