I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media… Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

— Gov. Sarah Palin
“Palin Opens Up On Controversial Issues”
Sep 2008 CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

Why It’s Moronic

This was Gov. Sarah Palin’s response to Katie Couric’s Vice-Presidential interview question, “And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?”

Granted, Couric’s question was insulting—was she really insinuating that Palin doesn’t read newspapers or news magazines? I think it’s fair to say that any governor of any state reads a fair amount of news. It’s also worth noting that Couric wouldn’t dare ask the same of Obama, Biden, or McCain. Throughout the interview, Katie couldn’t hide her disdain for Palin, even with her perpetual baby-corn-teeth smile.

The real problem, though, is that Palin doesn’t know how to respond without sounding like an idiot. Part of this may be due to political-correctness; how would the public react if the Bulldog threw it back at Katie with: “Are you really asking me if I read news? Could you be any more condescending?” Maybe she was so maddened by the question that her focus was on controlling her anger, such that she fumbled on listing her favorite news sources (and instead offered a public appreciation for the press). Of course, there’s always the possibility that Palin truly gets her “news” exclusively from Us Weekly, Star, and the Talkeetna Good Times.

We’ll never know the real reason for Palin’s idiotic answer, but you can bet this quote will go down as a classic political flub.