"The 'Bush Doctrine'? You Mean His World View?"

What is this? An outtake from "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader"? Please, please, please tell me that this is a joke and that there is no chance that this person could become the most powerful political figure in the world. I mean, seriously, there's no chance of that ever happening. Right? Right?



Here's one blogger on how Palin probably crammed for this interview:

"I can just imagine a note card in her pocket.
Side A: 'Terrorists'
Side B: 'Hell bent on destroying America'"

I guess the positive spin on all this is that John McCain clearly believes that America should be the land of opportunity for absolutely everyone. Think I'm exaggerating? Lest you be tempted to explain this away by saying, "Yeah, but she's smart. She can get up to speed on foreign policy quick enough," here's James Fallows' take on what this slip tells us about how Palin might govern.

[update on 9/13: apparently some commentators have tried to make the point that the interviewer himself is unaware of what the term "Bush Doctrine" means and that Palin's request for clarification is perfectly appropriate. It's true that Gibson doesn't distinguish between preemptive military action in general and what's novel about the Bush Doctrine. But if you think that Sarah Palin had this sort of nuance in mind when she asked for clarification, you're ... --what's the word?-- oh, yeah. Deluded. Your clue should be her question whether "Bush Doctrine" means "Bush's world view." Go back and watch the clip and read Fallows, linked above. There is no room for respectful disagreement on this point: anyone arguing otherwise is just being obtuse or disingenuous. If you're a Palin fan, it's better to accept the criticism, cut your losses, and move on].