Painful Palin: "Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah."

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, there was more disturbing hilarity last night during Palin-Couric II, with Couric trying to be nice and Palin getting lost here, there, and everywhere. (For my comments on some of Palin-Couric I, see here.)

It's so bizarre, in a way.

Here's Palin, running for vice president, on the national stage, saying silly and stupid things and at times unable even to answer Couric's questions in any coherent, let alone meaningful, way, and showing a complete lack of experience, engagement, expertise, and even basic understanding of the issues.

She said, for example, that the U.S. should never second-guess Israel with respect to Iran. (See first video below.) Couric pressed her softly, exposing her incoherence and double-speak, but all Palin could do was fumble around with, and become entangled in, her verbiage.

She also responded with incoherence (and cluelessness) to Couric's question about the bailout. (See second video below.) She clearly looked uncomfortable, if not somewhat embarrassed. As Melissa McEwan puts it, "Palin's answer is just a rambling mess of jumbled talking points haphazardly strung together in a way that makes no sense, while she glances down at her notes. 'Not ready for primetime' doesn't begin to cover it."

And then there were her comments about Alaska's proximity to Russia and how that geographic fact somehow gives her valuable foreign policy experience. (See third video below.) Here's the exchange:

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

In other words... nothing.

Her claim is being mocked because it's mockable. Being the governor of the state next to Russia, to the remotest part of Russia, doesn't provide her with any foreign policy experience at all. She mentioned "trade missions" but was unable to give any specifics. Instead, she suggested that she's been monitoring Putin and watching out for a Russian invasion. Which is just plain stupid.

There is no way this woman should be anywhere near the vice presidency. Watch the videos -- and laugh -- but remember that she is the Republican nominee and that the race is close.