I hate to keep bringing up Sarah Palin (and, yes, I know about Biden's gaffe about FDR going on TV at the time of the 1929 stock market crash -- it was Hoover and TVs hadn't been invented yet), but she keeps wetting the bed, over and over again. 

 

Here are James Forman's thoughts:

I have basically avoided writing about Palin, because I have accepted the view that Obama should focus on McCain, not her.  That said, there is no other way to say it: this individual is a total embarrassment, in over her head.  It is not just her hard-right views, or just her lack of experience.  It is her absolute lack of intellect and coherence on critical matters.  

If you need any more proof, check out these clips from her Katie Couric interview, especially the 2nd one where Couric asks her about her claim that she is qualified on foreign affairs because she can see Russia.  And note that at least this conservative blogger (see below), who was loving Palin after her appointment, has given up on her after seeing the train wreck of these interviews.

i still agree with the view that obama should stay away from this.  palin is destroying herself on her own, with her own words, and he should not pile on and risk charges of sexism or elitism.

Here's the conservative blogger Forman refers to:

Palin debacle on CBS Evening News

Thursday September 25, 2008

posted by Rod Dreher

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/09/palin-debacle-on-cbs-evening-n.html

Watch the Couric interview here. Couric's questions are straightforward and responsible. Palin is mediocre, again, regurgitating talking points mechanically, not thinking. Palin's just babbling. She makes George W. Bush sound like Cicero. This is one of the more coherent passages:

Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?

Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.

Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government.

Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?

Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.

Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

I remember the morning I woke up in my college dorm room and went in to take my final exam in my Formal Logic class. I knew I was unready. Massively unready. And now I was going to be put to the ultimate test. I sat down in Dr. Sarkar's class and resolved to wing it. Of course I failed the exam and failed the class, because I had no idea what I was talking about. I wasn't a bad kid, or even a stupid kid. I was just badly unprepared, and in way over my head. Seeing the Palin interview on CBS, I thought of myself in Dr. Sarkar's exam. But see, I was a college undergraduate who had the chance to take the class again, which I did, and passed (barely). I wasn't running for vice president of the United States.

UPDATE: New Palin excerpt up, in which she discusses why having Russia next to Alaska gives her relevant foreign policy experience. I am well and truly embarrassed for her. I think she's a good woman who might well be a great governor of Alaska. But good grief, just watch this train wreck:

Here's part 2 of the interview, with comments below from another blogger: http://gawker.com/5054861/palin-stop-making-fun-of-me

Palin: Stop Making Fun Of Me

Honestly it's just sad now. Sarah Palin looks genuinely upset that everyone mocked her for saying she has foreign policy experience because of her state's proximity to Russia. Asked to explain what sort of foreign policy experience that proximity lends her, she says her state is very close to Russia. Katie Couric just smiles politely. The new exclusive clip from the CBS interview with America's Saddest Joke is attached below.

Here's the transcript:

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. 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.