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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Australia: Palin thought Queen ran the show

PJ: Most likely Palin does not understand that Australia is a member of The Commonwealth but if she did, would she also think that the Queen ruled that country as well...and how about Canada? The Queen is still the figure-head of both countries; would Palin understand that the Monarch has no ruling powers? My guess is that she would have been confused by that fact. We've got to remember that she thought that the prime minister of Canada, her state's neighbor, was named Stef Carse* when in fact it was Stephen Harper.

* Stef Carse is a pop and country singer from Quebec.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Palin thought Iraq decision was Queen's
By Raf Sanchez


Sarah Palin believed the Queen, not the prime minister, was responsible for the decision to keep British forces in Iraq, according to research for a new film chronicling her political rise.

The former Alaskan governor reportedly made the comment during the 2008 presidential campaign as aides to John McCain, the Republican candidate, tried to bring his surprise choice as running mate up to speed on foreign affairs.

Mrs Palin's confusion emerged during a coaching session with Steve Schmidt, a McCain adviser who asked her what she would do if Britain began to waver in its commitment to the Iraq war.
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In one of the many rambling responses that eroded her credibility, Mrs Palin reportedly replied she would ''continue to have an open dialogue'' with the Queen. A horrified Mr Schmidt informed her the prime minister, then Gordon Brown, would be responsible for the decision. She also mistakenly believed Saddam Hussein ordered the September 11 attacks.

The blunder was revealed during research for Game Change, an HBO ''docudrama'' based on a book about the 2008 campaign by two American journalists. While the film is a dramatisation, with Julianne Moore playing Mrs Palin, its producers conducted dozens of interviews and Mr Schmidt confirmed its accuracy in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

It describes panicked cramming sessions during the campaign, with aides beginning history lessons with the Spanish Civil War and carrying through to post-September 11. Mrs Palin was initially enthusiastic, making notes on hundreds of coloured flash cards, but became increasingly sullen and was described by tutors as going into a ''catatonic stupor''.

Mrs Palin refused to co-operate with the film and her spokesman said it ''distorted, twisted and invented facts to create a false narrative''.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/palin-thought-iraq-decision-was-queens-20120221-1tlnw.html

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