Close Call!

From Fox News' Carl Cameron, the reporter who has been following the McCain campaign (please pick your jaws up off the floor - yes I watch Fox. Can't criticize if I don't ever watch.):

According to McCain staffers, Sarah Palin did not understand that Africa is a continent. She thought it was a country or a region or something.


Now it's time for me to pick MY jaw up off the floor. The person who John McCain wanted to be a heartbeat away from the presidency was so ignorant of the greater world beyond Alaska, she did not know basic geography. Man oh man did we all dodge a bullet!

She also didn't know what countries were involved in NAFTA. Otherwise known as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Not too many countries to choose from there...


UPDATED: Bill O'Reilly discussed this all a bit more on the O'Reilly Factor. (jaws up again, folks. Yes, I do sometimes watch The O'Reilly Factor. Can't counter the arguments if you don't know what they are.) Bill blew off the Africa thing and other failures by Palin to understand basic civic structure and assignment of responsibilities to branches and levels of government as "a knowledge problem" that was easily correctable. Bunk. Not knowing the particulars of an issue or piece of legislation would be a knowledge problem. But there are only 7 continents. Not knowing one of them points to an ignorance of the world that cannot be corrected during a 2 month presidential campaign. Not understanding the basics of federalism, the difference between municipal and state governments, or how the First Amendment operates renders one utterly and unarguably unfit for the highest (or second highest) office in the land. Please, Bill et al, stop making excuses for ignorance. Note I'm not calling Palin stupid, but these snippets we're hearing from the McCain camp definitely demonstrate an ignorance (a different thing from stupidity) that is simply unacceptable from a vice presidential candidate. Fortunately for us all, she was not on the winning ticket.