SAN FRANCISCO - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin called Afghanistan “our neighboring country” on Sunday in a speech that could revive questions over her tendency to stumble into linguistic knots.
Three days after a mostly gaffe-free debate performance, the Alaska governor fumbled during a speech in which she praised U.S. soldiers for “fighting terrorism and protecting us and our democratic values”.
“They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan,” she told several hundred supporters at a fundraising event in San Francisco.
The gaffe could add fuel to comedians and late-night talk show hosts who have seized on her linguistic infelicities to portray her as someone not to be taken seriously.
Later in a speech in Omaha, Neb., Palin poked a little fun at herself when talking about one comedian in particular — actress Tina Fey whose dead-on impression of Palin’s looks, voice and body language has been a hit.
Fey, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Palin, has parodied her as a rambling, perky politician unfamiliar with world issues for three straight weeks on the comedy show “Saturday Night Live”.
“I was just trying to give Tina Fey more material — job security for Saturday Night Live,” Palin said.
The skits have become a sensation since an awkward interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric in which Palin failed to coherently express her views about Russia, the U.S. government’s $700 billion financial bailout package, and the newspapers or magazines she reads.
In recent days, the 44-year-old self-described “hockey mom” has described the Couric interview as “less than successful”, and apologized to crowds of supporters for her shaky performance, saying she was “annoyed” and “impatient” because she wanted to talk about other issues like energy independence.
Palin’s opponent, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, has also committed high-profile gaffes, including claiming in a recent interview that President Franklin D. Roosevelt calmed fears in a TV address at the beginning of the Great Depression. There was no TV in 1929 — Roosevelt wasn’t president at the time.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder (A Palin supporter at a rally in Denver last week.)
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I am a bit confused why she is allowed to run for VP when she and her husband have been working to split Alaska off from the United States. She has engaged in treason and attempted to start a Civil war in the US.
This is serious stuff. Less than a year ago she was the opening speaker at the Alaska Independence Party’s convention, and she did this as Governor of Alaska. In the opening address she said she was proud of the work they were doing to secede and had her full support.
I mean really people. I wonder what people would say if Barack Obama only last year had tried to pass legislation that allowed Illinois to become it’s own country. Would we laugh him out of office or put him in jail?
I have to also wonder how the Palin’s (with the help of huge teams of Republican lawyers) can simply decide on their own that they are above the law and don’t have to respond to subpoena’s. Todd Palin has ignored two .. and finally relented to letting the McCain lawyers answer one of them in writing. I mean what? Again I have to ask .. if Obama and his family had been issues two subpoena’s for alleged corruption and he said, “I do not recognize the authority of the US Justice system in this matter.” what would we do? Would we vote for him, laugh him out of this race, or would he be in jail. I’m thinking jail and that is what would happen to any other American in this country. We would be in jail.
- Posted by DavePalin is as incompetent as any candidate who\’s ever run for office. Of course, it’s not saying much with John McCain in the field.
Friday may be her undoing with the Troopergate report, but it will be the rescue of the American people from one more nasty Human with delusions of grandeur……. like her running mate, the clueless but vicious John McCain.
Now, if only they understood the bailout they mistakenly call a ‘rescue’, they’d be just as dumb as before…….. but we might get help, rather than racist rallies calling for the murder of their opposition.
- Posted by John KellermeyerPalin is as incompetent as any candidate who’s ever run for office. Of course, it’s not saying much with John McCain in the field.
Friday may be her undoing and the rescue of the American people from one more nasty Human with delusions of grandeur……. like her running mate, the clueless but vicious John McCain.
- Posted by John KellermeyerThere is one final question I want someone ( as many as necessary ) to PLEASE ask SP:
About how old is the Earth ?
- Posted by R. D. FlowersIf you are posting a positive opinion about sarah palin…make sure your grammer is correct/..because you look like idiots supporting an idiot when you miss-spell and miss-qoute…and miss in general.. …or …rather dont… this will further enhance the opinion that she and you are lacking in cranial skills…
- Posted by michael peck
Look like an idiot as in misspelling “grammar” you mor0n? Or by incorrectly inserting a hyphen into misspell and misquote? Or do you mean by not capitalizing the beginning of sentences or punctuating the end? Or do you mean having three sentences incoherently blended into one run-on? And you’re judging people’s intelligence? Typical liberal.
- Posted by MattThank you, Deborah, for defining facism for the conservatives here (they apparently don’t like to read). It’s their side of the spectrum that facism comes from and it has nothing to do with theology (i.e. “Islamo-Fascism”) or socialism. In fact, fascism and socialism are diametrically opposed to each other. The fact that they and their trolls here don’t understand this is no surprise…
…and it is precisely this kind of intellectual incuriosity that allows one to better understand Palin and her mind-boggling selection.
- Posted by SLCPunk
Did your left-wing university professors teach you that? Apparently, they left out Mussolini and Hitler in your 20th Century World Affairs class. Facism and Socialism are strikingly similar, no matter how many hippie rallies you’ve been to in which your stoned friends call Republicans facists. Facists (Mussolini) and Socialists (Hitler) both use the same means to the same end. Violent suppression of opposition to exert total control over the citizenry. Both achieved this first through gun control, then through high taxation, then assailing the character of and imprisoning political opponents (Putin has done the same.) Cry all you want about Republicans wanting to control you via their pro-life platform but outlawing murder is a far cry from redistribution of wealth, stripping the public of its God-given right to self defense, and a completely dishonest portrayal of political opponents via the media.
- Posted by MattIf Connie (see below) thinks that the only quality one needs to possess to be a good vice president, or president for that matter, she’s as daft-if not more than-the Republicans in office. “Good” people don’t exist, and leadership should not hinge on people failing upwards.
I speak as an independent, so parse my comment as you will. Sarah Palin, in all of her mediocre glory, has done nothing to prove that she is qualified to lead this country. She hides from “negative” reporting- come out of hiding, Sarah… We just want to ask a few questions. John McCain, after an illustrious career of noble ideals, dignity and honor, has denigrated into nothing more than a mimic of George Bush, Dick Cheney and war-criminal Henry Kissinger. Let’s stop the fear-mongering and respond to questions on the issues, John, just as you promised earlier in the campaign. The spaghetti you keep cooking is not sticking to any walls.
G-Obama
- Posted by JoeConnie Malfa,
Really? Was your post a joke? We do listen to her…do you? If not, start w/ this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP12aNzoc Sc then watch all of them.
Listening to her makes me laugh and scared at the same time.
How can anyone who follows politics even mildly think she was a good choice? Even hard core republicans have stated she was not the best of choices.
[Stepping of my soap box]
- Posted by MeFirst she wants to build a bridge to nowhere and accepts the money then says “I was against it to begin with” yeah right so us the money and give it back from her Alaskan welfare state. Second she probably wants to build an oil pipeline from Alaska to Afganistan that’s what she meant by “neighboring country” like muslims call each other ‘brothers’ when they really aren’t.
- Posted by LOL123The woman is a cheerleader for the Republicans and nothing more.
Idiots are all we are deserving of for our representation. People liked Bush because we was dumb and didn’t make the average American feel inadequate. That’s why repugnants claim to like Palin. She’s like the many–she isn’t intelligent as are the few who deprive us of our God given presumption of the right to an opinion, however ill-informed. Obama’s no better. He is and isn’t one thing or another. He is and is not black/white. He is and is not a Muslim/Christian/Jew. He does and does not represent a minority/majority. He is and is not in favor of defending Israel. He condemns and supports the plight/error of the Palestinians. But in the end both candidates speak of “change.” That is what happens as the result of an election which follows a sitting president who has already served two terms.
- Posted by AntiUSThe country has just been put through 8 years of mockery because of a president who appears to have not gotten past 8th. grade….. Can’t believe people would even consider another term of that. Let’s vote intelligence this time. Obama/Biden 08
- Posted by NancySarah Palin is not dumb. She is however ignorant. Ignorant of world affairs, world geography and the dangers and issues of the world. It is apparent from her comments that she does not have a clue.
A mistake or two is one thing, but constant gaffes are not acceptable. This woman is simply not prepared to be a heartbeat away from the President.
Everyone says she is running for VP. However, the fact remains that this woman could easily become President if McCain should (God Forbid) be elected and succumb to one of the most lethal cancers known.
How could anyone be comfortable thinking this woman might be president?
This woman has set the Women’s Movement back at least 100 years! She will set the country back immeasurably.
Moreover, how can we have as president a woman whose husband belongs to an organization that supports the secession of Alaska from the United States?
- Posted by Vgirl11To the dedicated republicans who defend Palin -
I was a swing vote. I was considering McCain. But I will NOT vote republican for one reason specifically - making the selection of Palin as the VP candidate shows incompetence in its highest form. I could never endorse a party or a man who made such a foolish decision.
As for Sarah Palin, she is embarrassing to all female politicians, in fact, she has single-handedly put that glass ceiling she spoke of even further away.
- Posted by WandaHold on- BIG typo- she is NOT very christian!
- Posted by tm68I’m living in AK right now- Palin’s hometown in fact. It DOES NOT require mental and physical awareness to live in this town. Maybe the Aleutian chain, or somewhere else in the Bush, but not Wasilla, Anchorage, or Juneau- which are Palin’s haunts. If you got plunked down in any one of these places and was told to guess where you were, you would just as soon say Colorado, as you would Alaska.
She may not be evil, but she certainly is very Christian. She’s a hypocrite and these smears are very unbecoming of her and for women in general.
- Posted by tm68She’s not evil, I don’t think. She’s just ignorant. No thank you.
- Posted by DivaShe’s clearly out of her league. She was picked by the McCain staff to bolster support from the right and just being used to get their guy in. I would feel sorry for her if she wasn’t a christian extremist who would jeopardize our freedoms like Bush has.
- Posted by sourmilkseaPalin calls herself an energy expert yet she said that Alaska provided 20% of the oil for the US. Actually it’s about 4%.
- Posted by Les[...] cup). And Sarah Palin doesn’t have maps and places such as, because according to her, Afghanistan is “our neighboring [...]
- Posted by Either Relevant or True » Say It Ain’t So!It’s hard to resist not getting fired up when you read this stuff. I want to know why people think it’s acceptable that the bar has become so low for a person seeking one of the highest offices in our country.
Here are some prerequisites: An expert knowledge of the constitution, the bill of rights, american history, foreign policy and world geography for starters. She is not qualified for the position. Being a “real” person does not cut it. She has been given plenty of opportunities to prove her self and she has failed, and I wish people would stop being partisan with this. Putting under qualified people in this high office is unacceptable and dangerous.
- Posted by Don