Sarah Palin May Not Be Dumb, but She's Not Smart

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

A recent post on Sarah Palin by my colleague Robert Schlesinger began: "I don't think Sarah Palin is dumb, but I do wonder how ready to work she is."

I don't wonder how ready to work she is. And I'm not prepared to say she's dumb, because I've not met her in person and a judgment under that circumstance would not be fair. But let me ask you this: Is there anyone out there who would claim with a straight face that Governor Palin is a terrific intellect? I don't think so.

I was wowed by her selection by Sen. John McCain as his running mate. I thought she gave a great introductory speech at the GOP convention. After that, my opinion of her went straight downhill—in a nose dive.

Her interviews with ABC's Charles Gibson and CBS's Katie Couric were downright embarrassing. Her knowledge of American political history and international issues was disgraceful.

Is she spunky? Is she ambitious? Is she attractive? Can she sometimes deliver a powerful speech? Yes to all. Is she dumb? Well, let's put it this way: She's clearly no intellect.

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