Of Bullets Dodged

According to a piece in the NY Times which from what I can tell seems to be factual - insofar as anonymous sources can be verified - Sarah Palin did not know that Africa is a continent (country, check; continent? the deuce, you say) and could not name the three countries involved in NAFTA. I don't know if she thinks North America is only composed of America or America and Canada, and I realize she's way the hell up there in the forgotten Great White North, but dude: North American Free Trade Agreement. How hard is it to suss out who the signatories might be?

I really don't know which is the stronger emotion: relief to have dodged a bullet of Howlitzer proportions or shocked dismay that John McCain actually considered this woman a viable running mate (and presumably viable VP).

It's a train wreck in slow motion - albeit an incredible, rather gleeful one - watching the Republicans and McCain campaign team turn on each other. It's McCain vs. Palin - even if the two of them aren't publicly slugging it out, their aides are...anonymously, of course. It's only too wonderful the press is happy to oblige in airing all the dirty laundry, right down to the socks and $98 onesies, thus insuring us plebes front row seats to the snarkfest of a lifetime. It's not often the Pubbies turn on each other, but when they do, it's a thing of joy and beauty to behold. I just hope someone is taking thorough notes, because you KNOW Palin is not just going to melt away like the Wicked Witch of the West. Hubris seems to be her middle name, and if she's got any brain cells at all to rub together - and I suspect she might have at least 2 - she'll run for Congress in 2010 before making a bid for the White House herself, perhaps in 2012, but not until 2016, if she's got any sense at all. If I were her, I'd hedge my bets and get some actual national experience under my belt before I staged a run of my own. Until then, I'll be making some popcorn and pulling a chair up to my computer screen. Because reading all this muck while the two camps try to blame each other for Tuesday's colossal failure?

Priceless.