Sarah the Hockey Mom’s Lame Hat Trick

Last updated on August 11th, 2014 at 12:01 am

On Thursday, Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, who had basically been sequestered by her own campaign for fear of exposure, finally crawled out from beneath the home ice and gave her very first interview with a member of the press.

The McCain campaign hand picked Charlie Gibson because they knew he was a softie when it came to asking questions, and have in the past, shown camaraderie with the Republican party. They also selected 9/11 as Palin’s special “coming out” day. Both of these selections were designed to curry favor and sympathy for Palin.

But even with their cherry-picked interviewer and date, Palin herself, green as freshly-minted money, could not stay afloat…not even with the reliably low-key and conciliatory Gibson tossing simple, surface questions at her.

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Palin looked more like an unprepared hockey mom than a vicious pit bull during the interview. She was so out of her element that she left all of us with three nuggets of insight into her qualifications…or lack thereof.

The Associated Press reported that, “McCain has defended her [commander in chief] qualifications, citing her command of the Alaska National Guard and Alaska’s proximity to Russia.”

When Gibson asked her if she felt those two credentials were sufficient, Palin replied: “It is about reform of government and it’s about putting government back on the side of the people, and that has much to do with foreign policy and national security issues.”

So being a maverick (and I say this in a way that humors their campaign claim) is a substitute for actual foreign policy experience?

When Gibson later pushed Palin for her thoughts on the recent Russian actions against Georgia, Palin reminded everyone that she lives in Alaska, which is really close to Russia. So when Gibson asked her what insights she’d gained about the Russia/Georgia conflict, by living in Alaska, Palin answered: “They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.”

Yes, you read that correctly. There was actually no answer given.

And, apparently, being able to see a remote part of a country qualifies one as an expert on that country. In that case, I’m an expert on over a dozen nations on earth. I’ve flown over them on a plane and as we landed, I could clearly see them all on the horizon below me.

And to round out her amazing trifecta of stupity, Palin told Gibson that “I’m ready” to be president. And she didn’t even miss a beat to say that having seen Siberian snowcaps from a distance, she’s ready to be president of the United States, leader of the free world.

God help us all, indeed.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association