The Palin Follies
Politics Daily — Filed under: Republicans, Media, Viral Video, Sarah PalinVia FOX comes what is sure to prove just the beginning of the full story of Sarah Palin's vice-presidential nomination. In today's chapter, we learn that when McCain's people started prepping Palin for the national stage, they discovered that the Alaska governor couldn't name the signatories to NAFTA (The U.S., Canada, and Mexico), nor did she realize that Africa was a continent rather than a country. Watch: And Newsweek has more on Sarah Palin's GOP-funded extreme makeover. Yes, it's worse than ...

It begins: Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent, claims Fox News
Hot Air » Top Picks — It begins: Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent, claims Fox News posted at 8:15 pm on November 5, 2008 by Allahpundit Send to a Friend | printer-friendly Via Ace , a tasty pile of shinola straight from the stovetop of disgruntled McCain staffers. It’s too cute by half, as is the detail about NAFTA; they might as well have tossed in a story about her having to guess who’s buried in Grant’s tomb. To believe it, you have to believe she figured out a way to become governor of Alaska while somehow lacking the mental power to piece together which three nations might be involved in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Diehard ‘Cuda-haters like ...

Fox News is in the tank for Obama. And elitist.
INSTAPUTZ —

Trying to Bury Her
Talking Points Memo — Part of me thinks I shouldn't be watching Fox News reporter and sometimes fabulist Carl Cameron dishing the McCain campaign's dirt on Sarah Palin. But well, when Mothra goes up against Godzilla, how can you not watch? Here's Cameron telling Fox's Shep Smith that while trying to prep Palin for her interviews, McCain's staffers supposedly learned that Palin thought Africa was a country rather than a continent and didn't know what countries were signatories to NAFTA. And there's still more ... ...

Survey Says...No.
INSTAPUTZ — Last week: AN ARMY OF SARAH PALINS. Will they all be Brainiacs? In what respect, Charlie? [via]

Fox’s Carl Cameron: Palin ‘didn’t understand that Africa was a continent.’
Think Progress — Today, Fox News’ campaign reporter Carl Cameron unloaded some startling undisclosed reports of Sarah Palin’s incompetence that he had been given off-the-record on the condition they not be released until the conclusion of the campaign: CAMERON: There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lacked a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, and a heartbeat away from the presidency. We are told by folks that she didn’t know what countries were in NAFTA — the North American Free Trade Agreement. That’d be Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. We’re ...

The Wasilla Wingnut
Balloon Juice — Via the comments, this video from the Great Orange Satan: Among the hits in that video, it is announced that Palin did not know the countries involved in NAFTA nor knew that Africa was a continent. I have no idea how much of this is true, but there can be no doubt that ...

The Odd Truths About Sarah Palin I: Africa Is A Country
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — Well, it looks as if she may be the gift that keeps on giving. The narrative is now beginning to look something like this: the McCain campaign picked her essentially out of a hat and with Bill Kristol's recommendation letter. They did no vetting. They assumed she wasn't completely out of her mind and dumb as a rock, which, one should concede, is not that big an assumption for a sitting governor with her approval ratings but still ... Then they find out the truth: Now all I want to say here, ahem, is that they realized all this about this person within a few days of picking her and yet they ...

The election is over, but the geographical literacy campaign continues
Classical Values — The election is over, but the geographical literacy campaign continues I'm a bit skeptical about the claim by Fox News that Sarah Palin "didn't understand that Africa was a continent." Actually, Fox's Carl Cameron doesn't accuse her of that directly; he claims he was told. By, uh, "folks." His exact words: "Well I wish I could have told you back at the time, but all of it was put off the record until after the election. There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lacked a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate a vice president and a heartbeat away from the presidency. "Uh we are told by folks, uh, that that she didn't know what ...

An Avalanche of Foibles
Obsidian Wings — by publius Sounds like the oppo dump on Palin is coming. Carl Cameron sez: "Notwithstanding that there is to be an avalanche that will continue for many days now we're told of story upon story of the foibles of Sarah Palin." The fuller exchange is in the video below. Here's a little teaser -- Cameron reported she didn't know Africa was a continent ...

Palin's Knowledge of Africa and the World Revealed
Politicol News — Just now revealed the real tensions between McCain's handlers and those of Governor Palin of Alaska during the election campaign. McCain had indicated that Palin was properly vetted before he chose her to be his running mate by the RNC and the republican campaign chiefs. Tales of temper tantrums, spending binges and disagreements on the tone of the campaign are now revealed in this YouTube video discussion on Fox News. The finger pointing has become on the massive loss of seats for the republicans in the election with Barack Obama ultimately winning the Whitehouse. Sarah Palin's unraveling even ...

Palin didn't know Africa's a continent
The Swamp — by Frank James Perhaps we need a "No Governor Left Behind" program for Gov. Sarah Palin who evidently is about as clueless as many observers thought. Today, Fox News Channel's Carl Cameron told anchor Shepherd Smith that a source or sources within the McCain campaign told him that Palin didn't know Africa is a continent. He was sworn to secrecy by his source/sources until after the election. Let that sink in for a second. A U.S. governor didn't know that Africa is a continent. Here's a transcript of the video clip: Smith: Now that the ...

thud.. thud.. Sarah meet Mr. Bus
Corrente — Is this the pre-emptive shot in the wingnut war to expunge those non-believers from the Republican Party. What happened to Nicole Wallace’s statement about doing her duty as a staffer? I’m willing to be these off-record tidbits come from her.

Shivin’ & Shankin’
Firedoglake — Thump, thump go the wheels of the Straight Talk Express. If John McCain is going down, his people are making sure that Nanook of the North goes down with him: Moments ago on FOX News, Carl Cameron reported some damning leaks from the McCain camp on Sarah Palin. McCain ...

Palin Didn’t Know Africa Was A Continent?
Say Anything — Seems as though there are some disgruntled McCain staffers out there are thinking that if The Maverick’s political career is essentially dead in the water, Palin’s may as well be too. I find it a little hard to believe that a woman who had the audacity to get herself elected Governor of the State of Alaska by campaigning against her own party doesn’t know, for instance, that America is made up of three different nations. But I’m sure the Palin haters on the left and in the media will lap it up.  Palin is a mere commoner.  A hockey ...

And now you know…
The Agitator — …the rest of the story.

The Foibles of Sarah Palin
Greatscat! — 11-5-08: Judging by this Fox News report today, I'd say it's safe to say that Sarah Palin has now been tossed off the Straight Talk Express bus and thrown under the wheels and will be blamed for the failure of John McCain's ill-fated campaign for all eternity. Fox reports rumors of Palin having temper tantrums with staffers, refusing preparation for media appearances, and it's revealed that during some interview it became apparent that Palin did not understand, or know that Africa was a continent. Oh my! -Diane Stumble Upon Toolbar ...

Open Thread
HorsesAss.Org — Outstanding. Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent, not a country… Also, Radley Balko points out a sadly ironic statistic out of California. While African-Americans celebrated an unprecedented milestone in their centuries-long struggle for equality, African-American voters overwhelmingly voted for Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage.

FOX throws Sarah Palin so far under the bus, she shoots out other side and goes under next bus - back to Alaska
News Hounds — Carl Cameron revealed information from the McCain campaign that was unflattering, to say the least, to Governor Sarah Palin, this evening on the O'Reilly Factor 11/5/08. That the McCain campaign knew the extremities of Palin's ignorance and arrogance and still presented her as a viable, qualified candidate just goes to show how dishonest they were willing to be to win. Country first, my arse. With video. O'Reilly asked a few questions and then sat silently as Cameron unloaded the dirty details from campaign aides - Palin was a shopaholic, she had temper tantrums, she was completely unprofessional (appearing before campaign staffers wearing only a robe), ...

The Palin Follies
Politics Daily — Filed under: Republicans, Media, Viral Video, Sarah PalinVia FOX comes what is sure to prove just the beginning of the full story of Sarah Palin's vice-presidential nomination. In today's chapter, we learn that when McCain's people started prepping Palin for the national stage, they discovered that the Alaska governor couldn't name the signatories to NAFTA (The U.S., Canada, and Mexico), nor did she realize that Africa was a continent rather than a country. Watch: And Newsweek has more on Sarah Palin's GOP-funded extreme makeover. Yes, it's worse than ...

Morning Roundup: Around the Web in a Little Toy Boat
The Latest on Air America — Morning Roundup: Around the Web in a Little Toy Boat

Early Morning Swim: Special Schadenfreude Edition
Firedoglake — Randy Scheunemann, fired for kissing up to Palin. The battle between McCain and Palin. Shopping sprees and wet towels. Splitsville. The Anchor Baby lashes out; RedState starts an enemies list.  "Loser ...

Trashing Palin
Political Animal — TRASHING PALIN.... The McCain campaign was obviously a failure, but it now seems clear that McCain's aides want to bring Sarah Palin down with them. Fox News' Carl Cameron reported yesterday that the McCain campaign struggled with Palin's apparent stupidity, which included not knowing that Africa is a continent, not knowing which countries are in NAFTA, and refusing preparation before major media interviews. Cameron added that Palin was "hard to control emotionally," and was prone to "temper tantrums." All of this comes a day after McCain aides dished ...

Palin Last Nail in Republican Coffin?
Outside The Beltway | OTB — Palin Last Nail in Republican Coffin? Quite a few reports came out yesterday buttressing rumors that there were tensions between John McCain and Sarah Palin which caused a feud within the campaign team.   It’s only fitting, I suppose, since the selection of Palin has highlighted and exacerbated a growing fissure within the Republican Party itself. Fox New’s Carl Cameron dished last night about rumors that Palin was even more unprepared than we thought, like not knowing that Africa was a continent rather than a country or being clueless about which countries were in NAFTA: Cameron continued the assault on Bill O’Reilly’s show, continuing to use the ...

The reports from inside the McCain campaign are not pretty.
Althouse — Carl Cameron is on fire, spilling the dirt on Sarah Palin (and reducing Bill O'Reilly to near silence): Via Allahpundit, who comments: Unlike the first clip, this one does corroborate some of the details in the Newsweek report — sort of. Newsweek claims Palin appeared to McCain’s aides in a bath towel; Cameron says it’s a bathrobe. It’s not clear if he’s lifting that story from the piece or if he got it from a source firsthand; if the latter, then there’s either one very determined person leaking to multiple news outlets or … it’s a full-court press.... I assume this is a sign that Maverick’s headed back to ...

Palin-Bash Continues:Africa Not a Continent
Politics Daily — Filed under: Republicans, John McCain, 2008 President, Sarah PalinFox News reports that cowardly McCain staffers continue to attack McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, in an obvious attempt to lay blame at her feet, rather than their own. Note the, once again, sexist connotations in the remarks about her being "emotional and hard to handle." Even more extraordinary, though, is the admission that the McCain campaign was fully aware of this, and prepared to hand the Vice-Presidency to someone who lacked such basic knowledge. This says less about Palin, ...

McCain's War Against Palin
TalkLeft — One thing I do not understand about the ongoing McCain war against Sarah Palin - do they not realize that this is more of a comment on McCain than Palin? As far as I know, she was minding her own business in Alaska when McCain decided to name her as his VP pick. So when they attack her now, as they do, they are basically making it abundantly clear that John McCain was utterly unfit to be President, did not put country first and was the disgraceful figure I always thought him to be. It is quite remarkable. By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only ...

Palin Didn't Know Africa is a Continent
Drudge Retort — Sarah Palin didn't know that Africa is a continent and didn't know which countries belong to NAFTA, according to Fox News' Carl Cameron, quoting McCain aides who spoke to him off the record until after Election Day. "There is to be an avalanche that will continue for many days now, we're told, of story upon story of the foibles of Sarah Palin," he said.

Wingnuts Prepare to Wind the Cocoon Tighter
Matthew Yglesias — Fox News’ Carl Cameron reports that Sarah Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent: Red State’s Erik Erikson plans a purge of those committing crimes against Palindom: RedState is pleased to announce it is engaging in a special project: Operation Leper. We’re tracking down all the people from the McCain campaign now whispering smears against Governor Palin to Carl Cameron and others. Michelle Malkin has the details. We intend to constantly remind the base about these people, monitor who they are working ...

Disintegration
The Mahablog — The Right is splintering into McCain and Palin camps. C’est une hoot. Faux News, a wholly owned subsidiary of the upper echelon of the Republican Party, is leading the charge against Palin. Even I think the “she’s so dumb she doesn’t know Africa is a continent” story is farfetched. The larger point is that the string-pullers want to make Sarah Palin the scapegoat. They are swift-boating their own. The puppets are not having it. Erick Erickson of Redstate announces Operation Leper: We’re tracking down all ...

Palin Fallout
PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — There are a great number of stories out today about trouble in the McCain-Palin campaign about Palin herself, and I do not have time at the moment to sort through all of it (more sorting later, I suspect). Part of this is typical fallout from a loss, and the commensurate finger-pointing and rear-end-covering that normally ensues. Part of it, however, is a lot of people getting to be honest about Palin now that such honesty cannot hurt McCain’s presidential bid. Here’s an interesting bit of video from Fox News. According to the report Palin didn’t know that Africa was a continent (she thought it was a country) and that she didn’t know ...

Sausagefest, Interrupted
Firedoglake — You know, the McCain campaign was just humming along until someone piped up and said, "Hey! How 'bout we add a chick to the ticket?" And John McCain thought it was a good idea and then everyone got boners and nobody could think straight and so they grabbed the first hot babe they could think of and, well, we all know how that ended up. Like, not very good.  And now, the finger pointing: ...

Picking a fight with the wrong people.
Blah3 Feed — Palin is going to pay the price for going rogue. On Wednesday, two top McCain campaign advisers said that the clothing purchases for Ms. Palin and her family were a particular source of outrage for them. As they portrayed it, Ms. Palin had been advised by Nicolle Wallace, a senior McCain aide, that she should buy three new suits for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September and three additional suits for the fall campaign. The budget for the clothes was anticipated to be from $20,000 to $25,000, the officials said. Instead, in a public relations debacle undermining Ms. Palin’s image as an everywoman “hockey mom,” ...

11/6: Sticking By Sarah
Blogometer — November 06, 2008 11/6: Sticking By Sarah Bloggers on the left and right continue to debate the ideological implications of Barack Obama 's victory. Liberal bloggers believe that Obama's win -- along with the increased Dem majorities in the House and Senate -- gives Dems a clear mandate ...

The World Reacts
DownWithTyranny! — When I graduated from college I went to Europe "for the summer." That summer lasted for almost 7 years and included a VW van drive across Asia to Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal... and back. Since then I've spent a month each year-- at the minimum-- overseas, revisiting places I loved, like Italy, Turkey, France, Morocco, India, or discovering new places I missed the first time around. Last year I went to Myanmar for the first time and soon I'll be going to Senegal for a little acclimatization before heading off to trek in the Dogone country of Mali and visit The Sheltering Sky's Timbuktu, both in Mali. So, thank God America's ...

A continent? In what respect, Charlie?
WTF Is It Now?!? — Lazy, bad-tempered and hard to control emotionally, Failin was an utter disaster, new reports confirm. Oh, and moronic. Don't forget moronic. Now that the campaign is over, McInsane staff members start dishing on the Disasta from Alaska. And so do the so-called "journalists" who were along for the ride and saw the whole thing as it happened, but didn't warn the rest of moron-America who a) continued to think she was God's gift and b) demonized the "liberal" "drive-by" "gotcha" media for trying to get the truth out. Great job, guys. Now crawl off and die. "Country first" my ass: to the surprise of no one with a functioning nervous system, Caribou Barbie ...

Debunking the Sarah Palin lies
Yourish.com — Since two of my commenters have now posted links to the ridiculous Fox News story that makes Sarah Palin look like a brain-dead moron who’s barely smart enough to dress herself, let alone run for VP, let’s take a look at, gee, the actual facts. A longtime aide to Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is lashing back at anonymous critics within the McCain-Palin presidential campaign, telling ABC News they are attacking the former vice presidential candidate with distortions. Meg Stapleton offers an explanation of some of the more stinging criticisms that have come out in recent days since the McCain-Palin defeat. ...

Nailin' Palin, Wasilla Hillbilly
The Reaction — By Michael J.W. Stickings Following up on co-blogger non sequitur's post from last night on the post-election attacks on Palin, here's the now-infamous report from Carl Cameron on Fox News (via Josh Marshall). Partly in response to these attacks, pro-Palin conservatives are circling the wagons. RedState, for example, has launched Operation Leper, aimed at exposing the attackers in the McCain campaign and destroying them. (Also, Palin's chief cheerleader in the right-wing punditocrazy, Krazy Bill Kristol, is going after the leakers in the McCain camp. He is no doubt ...

Sarah Palin is right : They're cowards and jerks
culturekitchen - fresh dissent served daily — For feminists and progressives it's really easy to criticize Sarah Palin. She has a horrid record of defending reproductive rights for women. She sees nothing wrong with abusing her power as governor of Alaska. She has a record of taking gifts and expensive favors from lobbyists and political allies. What's worse : It's no secret she was not chosen for her knowledge of national domestic or foreign policy and politics. The woman was not vetted properly because she was not crowned the GOPs beauty queen for her knowledge or experience. She was chosen for being a good looking Christian Nationalist that would "turn ...

The Secret Service Blames Palin For Obama Death Threats
Firedoglake — The Secret Service is blaming Sarah Palin's hateful campaign speeches for a dramatic increase in the number of death threats against now President Elect Barack Obama. The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain ...

Linda Bergthold: Palin calls bloggers "kids in pajamas"
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... In the course of the interview with Greta Van Susteren, a softball thrown with great affection by Fox, Palin manages to rebut all the attacks on her without ever providing much, if any, facts to support her position. She never asked for the clothes or the stylists. They just appeared. Nor the clothes for her "eight" member family (eight? I thought she had 5 kids...). She never thought Africa was a country. She was just concerned about Darfur and they discussed "Africa there...the country and the continent". She always knew what countries were in NAFTA. She never thought the ...

Fox News Carl Cameron is an Idiot
Say Anything — Check out this video of Carl Cameron who’s acting as if he’s got this inside information from McCain staffers, particularily saying that Sarah Palin didn’t know that Africa was not a country. The problem is, the whole thing was a hoax. It was among the juicier post-election recriminations: Fox News Channel quoted an unnamed McCain campaign figure as saying that Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent. Who would say such a thing? On Monday the answer popped up on a blog and popped out of ...