So, apparently she failed both her mid-term and her final. Does this qualify as a flunking?
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.
Not when Katie Couric is the interviewer.
But, FRANK! The Double-X chromosomes ladies at Slate say otherwise!
Let’s put it in other terms, shall we?
C: You’ve said that your running mate is the coolest kid in high school. Other than the fact that he wore some pretty awesome shoes a few years ago, can you give us any more examples of his conducting the Cool Express?
P: Well, you just said he had cool shoes. That’s important. Some people wear some pretty ugly shoes, you know.
C: But he’s a Senior now, and he’s been in High School for 4 years, and he’s typically been regarded as a nerd. Plus, he’s a member of the Chess Club.
P: Yeah, but in Chess Club he’s known for using some pretty unconventional openings. Even the geeks get mad at him, like when he makes a pretty excellent argument for leading with a Nimzo-Indian Defense and concentrating on overprotection.
C: Can you give me any examples of how he’s not a Geek? 4 years of Chess Club, president of the A/V Society… you’ve said your opponent watches a lot of MTV but doesn’t have any rad stuff on his iPod. After four years in High School, has your running mate even actually been to a make out party or anything? Please don’t tell me he owns a Zune.
P: Sure. I can give you examples showing he has excellent hygiene.
C: I’m going to ask you again, sorry if that’s annoying. Why do you say he’s cool?
P: Let me ask my friends at the table during lunch. Some of them are Young Republicans.
And I should care about what Slate has to say because … ?
Because of the peerless trenchant commentary. Duh.
Sorry. I don’t like martinis, so I’m not invited.
[...] Davey and Chris have weighed in on the Palin / Couric interview. Davey has also called me out because of my Palin enthusiasm. This is a response to all that… and more. This blog post comes with a guarantee: Everyone who reaches the end of this post will be transformed into an ardent Palin supporter. [...]