The Dog Ate Their Homework

by digby

The more I see of Sarah Palin, the more she reminds me of George W. Bush:

“Oil and coal? Of course, it’s a fungible commodity and they don’t flag, you know, the molecules, where it’s going and where it’s not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it’s Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It’s got to flow into our domestic markets first.” — Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin,

Here’s Bush (one of literally thousands of examples):

“Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.” –George W. Bush, explaining his plan to save Social Security, Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4, 2005

Or how about this one:

“Tribal sovereignty means that; it’s sovereign. I mean, you’re a — you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.” —President Bush, Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004

Now that I think about, though, it’s not just them.

Here’s the Secretary of state:

How can you use the name Hitler and the name of the president of the US in the same sentence? Particularly how can a German, given the devotion of the US in the liberation of Germany from Hitler?’

Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are no better:

Rudy Giuliani on whether or not it’s a problem that China owns so much of our federal debt: “the way to balance to books is to sell more overseas — sell energy independence, sell health care.”

John McCain on monetary policy: “I’m glad whenever they cut interest rates, I wish interest rates were zero.”

How about this guy, blathering on about the caliphate?

I do have to say that it’s Palin who has really captured that special Bush style of arrogant ignorance. Just as with Junior, you can almost hear the cogs creaking around in her head as she desperately tried to access some nugget of information that will dig her out of her hole. It’s a weird mental game of chicken.

I suppose that’s why the base of the Republican Party is so crazy about her. They prefer a leader who has no idea what he or she is saying, apparently. They think it makes them empathetic or something. Once again — a feature, not a bug.

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