# Sarah Palin's book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521 "2009-11-14T03:45:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/21 "2009-11-14T18:22:49Z")
> [@Camus](#): > > Here’s the biggest problem with that general idea (which I’ve heard before from quasi-Palin defenders) - “when she was prematurely picked for national office by John McCain.” > > If a person is “not particularly bright” and “not particularly curious” and who easily “devolved into a predictable, buzzword-spouting culture warrior,” how is another 2-6 years in any particular office going to change these qualities so that they will no longer be considered “prematurely picked”? If her knowledge and basic personality is at that level at 44, is it at all realistic to think that she will somehow “mature” at 48 or 52? Describing someone as “not particularly bright” and “not particularly curious” as well as prone to spouting recycled, pre-programmed garbage sounds pretty close to calling someone irredeemably stupid who lacks genuine ideas of their own. This is not someone who should be considered a serious candidate for any political office. I think that’s painting with a rather broad brush. One of the definitions of learning is “change”, and people do sometimes change for the better. It’s reasonable to think that a person who isn’t much at a certain age could possibly improve themselves with time and experience. But it’s also reasonable to judge that some people are unlikely to do so, and I’d agree that Palin is probably one of those people. Probably, but not necessarily - and therein I disagree with your premise. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/22 "2009-11-14T18:26:29Z")
I have to admit, I got a kick out of how bothered she was by all foul language used on the campaign trail. That to me spoke volumes about how unprepared she was to enter the arena of national politics. Political operatives have a reputation for being (at least when the cameras are off) among the most foul-mouthed people on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/23 "2009-11-14T18:27:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > And she can see Russia from her house. :rolleyes: This one is as substantive as giving Al Gore shit for saying he invented the internet. He really WAS a major ally in Washington for the burgeoning technology. Just like you really CAN see Russia from Alaska. I hate when people choose the worst of all examples to make fun of someone for when there is a wealth of significant things they can use. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think it’s a nice look into the workings of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Everything is somebody else’s fault. Nothing is her own. She has no responsibility for anything. If everyone had listened to her, things would have been fine. Jesus, what self-serving tripe. Is there anyone in her life she doesn’t eventually turn on? > > I understand she even tries to blame Katie Couric for the fact that she couldn’t answer softball questions from Katie Couric. > > There’s no chance that this book will contain any self-examination or genuine insights. It will only be self-aggrandizment, victimization and platitudes. LOL, it’s always funny the narcissistic personality disorder accusations. I read a polemic about Obama’s NPD recently too. You partisans are all the same. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/24 "2009-11-14T18:32:23Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > This one is as substantive as giving Al Gore shit for saying he invented the internet. He really WAS a major ally in Washington for the burgeoning technology. Just like you really CAN see Russia from Alaska. I hate when people choose the worst of all examples to make fun of someone for when there is a wealth of significant things they can use. The real point of the Palin quip wasn’t that you can’t see Russia from Alaska, it’s that it doesn’t somehow make you someone with foreign policy experience. It’s too bad that it got mocked for the wrong reasons. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/25 "2009-11-14T18:50:19Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > The real point of the Palin quip wasn’t that you can’t see Russia from Alaska, it’s that it doesn’t somehow make you someone with foreign policy experience. It’s too bad that it got mocked for the wrong reasons. Right. That point was even made during the interview: > [@](#): > > PALIN: And, Charlie, you’re in Alaska. We have that very narrow maritime border between the United States, and the 49th state, Alaska, and Russia. They are our next door neighbors.We need to have a good relationship with them. They’re very, very important to us and they are our next door neighbor. > > GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you? > > PALIN: They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska. > > GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they’re doing in Georgia? > > PALIN: Well, I’m giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relation with all of these countries, especially Russia. Her comment in Esquire magazine last March: > [@](#): > > You have to let it go. Even hard news sources, credible news sources — the comment about, you can see Russia from Alaska. _You can!_ You can see Russia from Alaska. Something like that — a factual statement that was taken out of context and mocked — what you have to do is let that go. Here she’s entirely missing the point: she wasn’t being mocked for saying that you can see Russia from Alaska, but for thinking that that had anything to do with foreign policy experience. My favorite quote on the matter (I forget who said it): “I can look out of my window and see the Moon. Doesn’t make me a f\*cking astronaut, now, does it?” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/26 "2009-11-14T18:57:44Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I think Radley Balko put it best: > > “Here’s all I want to say: It is possible that Sarah Palin was \*\*both \*\*unfairly mistreated and personally attacked by the media and many on the left, and that her family was rather ruthlessly and mercilessly run through the wringer . . . \*\*and \*\*that she’s a not particularly bright, not particularly curious, once libertarian-leaning governor who sadly devolved into a predictable, buzzword spouting culture warrior when she was prematurely picked for national office by John McCain.” If someone is not particularly bright, and the media points out that she is not particularly bright, how is that being treated “unfairly”? > [@Camus](#): > > If a person is “not particularly bright” and “not particularly curious” and who easily “devolved into a predictable, buzzword-spouting culture warrior,” how is another 2-6 years in any particular office going to change these qualities so that they will no longer be considered “prematurely picked”? If her knowledge and basic personality is at that level at 44, is it at all realistic to think that she will somehow “mature” at 48 or 52? You’ve got it all wrong. She was picked prematurely. It’s not that Palin will change, but in 2-6 years the level of public discourse will have degenerated so much that she would appear wise and statesmanlike. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/27 "2009-11-14T19:47:07Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > This one is as substantive as giving Al Gore shit for saying he invented the internet. He really WAS a major ally in Washington for the burgeoning technology. Just like you really CAN see Russia from Alaska. I hate when people choose the worst of all examples to make fun of someone for when there is a wealth of significant things they can use. The fact that you really can see Russia from Alaska is utterly beside the point. She isn’t ridiculed because anyone thinks the statement isn’t true, but because she tried to cite it as a foreign policy qualification. > [@](#): > > LOL, it’s always funny the narcissistic personality disorder accusations. I read a polemic about Obama’s NPD recently too. Obama doesn’t show the DSM-IV characteristics. Palin shows them in spades. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/28 "2009-11-14T19:50:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It doesn’t mitigate (nor does anything else) the fact that she took a huge shit on the people of Alaska by quitting her job after getting a huge advance from the publisher. That little move showed her true colors and what a venal little bitch she is. If I lived in a state that Sarah Palin was governor of, I’d be thrilled to have her quit for any reason whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/29 "2009-11-14T20:02:21Z")
Except for the reason that she’s being “kicked upstairs.” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/30 "2009-11-14T21:05:47Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Except for the reason that she’s being “kicked upstairs.” Oh, well, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![blinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@blinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkie)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/31 "2009-11-14T21:11:35Z")
Holy shit! She read a book?! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/32 "2009-11-14T21:34:30Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > If I lived in a state that Sarah Palin was governor of, I’d be thrilled to have her quit for any reason whatsoever. Perhaps, but it would have at least been honorable to finish out her term instead of taking the money and bolting. She was coming under a lot of criticism for ignoring state issues while on the campaign trail and after her return, but the only reason she resigned was cash in hand. The NYT has a review of the book today. The reviewer talks about her “annoying habit” of name-dropping philosophers and authors of note, and comparing herself to Reagan (big surprise). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/33 "2009-11-14T21:50:59Z")
> [@blinkie](#): > > Holy shit! She read a book?! I don’t think anyone’s suggesting anything quite that fanciful. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/34 "2009-11-15T02:58:35Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just because Sarah Palin was (and is) unfairly smeared by the other side, it doesn’t follow that she’s a great candidate for high office. Conservatives who like her do her no favors by pretending she did great in her interviews, and that it was all that liberal meanie Katie Couric’s fault. How is it unfair to point out the shortcomings of the person who is second in line to be president of one of the most powerful countries in the world? It’s not the fault of the media that she has a lot of shortcomings. Are they supposed to just ignore that she’s arrogant, narcissistic, and proud of her ignorance? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/35 "2009-11-15T03:10:18Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Are they supposed to just ignore that she’s arrogant, narcissistic, and proud of her ignorance? I don’t think that she is proud of her ignorance. One wonders how she became elected. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/36 "2009-11-15T03:31:34Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I have no interest in reading her book. > > I LIKE Sarah Palin, who seems like a cool person. And she shares most of my stances on the major issues. That said, she was a HORRIBLE candidate in 2008, and she CAN’T blame that (solely) on the liberal media. > > I think Radley Balko put it best: > > “Here’s all I want to say: It is possible that Sarah Palin was \*\*both \*\*unfairly mistreated and personally attacked by the media and many on the left, and that her family was rather ruthlessly and mercilessly run through the wringer . . . \*\*and \*\*that she’s a not particularly bright, not particularly curious, once libertarian-leaning governor who sadly devolved into a predictable, buzzword spouting culture warrior when she was prematurely picked for national office by John McCain.” > > The two are not contradictory. To use a crude analogy, Heath Shuler took a lot of unfair abuse from Redskins fans. The fact remains, he was a terrible quarterback. > > Just because Sarah Palin was (and is) unfairly smeared by the other side, it doesn’t follow that she’s a great candidate for high office. Conservatives who like her do her no favors by pretending she did great in her interviews, and that it was all that liberal meanie Katie Couric’s fault. Quoted for truth. Brilliant post. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/37 "2009-11-15T03:32:35Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > How is it unfair to point out the shortcomings of the person who is second in line to be president of one of the most powerful countries in the world? It’s not the fault of the media that she has a lot of shortcomings. Are they supposed to just ignore that she’s arrogant, narcissistic, and proud of her ignorance? Those are not the unfair attacks. “Palin faked her pregnancy,” was an unfair attack. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/38 "2009-11-15T04:42:51Z")
And it’s also an attack that never actually happened outside of a single blog post on a public forum. The “MSM” certainly never pursued it or endorsed it, and it di nothing but redound to her favor since she milked the victim card for all she was worth. I wouldn’t be surprised if McCain-Palin had planted that post itself as a way to immunize her against the pregnant daughter revelation. All of her real PR damage was self-inflicted. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/39 "2009-11-15T08:44:12Z")
[The woman is pathological.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/14/mccain-campaign-emails-co_n_358124.html) > [@](#): > > The Huffington Post has obtained internal McCain campaign emails – addressed to and by the former vice presidential candidate – that directly contradict or cast serious doubt on several of Palin’s assertions. The emails were passed along by a mid-level staffer who called early excerpts of “Going Rogue”, a serious mixing of truth and imagination." > [@](#): > > In one email thread, dated October 14, 2008, Palin says she is “not thrilled” with the idea of going on Saturday Night Live as a way of marginalizing the show’s unflattering impersonations of her. > > “Not after seeing clips of what they’ve been playing re: my family,” Palin writes to campaign manager Steve Schmidt, as well as top strategists Rick Davis; and Nicolle Wallace. “I had no idea how gross ‘celebrities’ on that show and in other celebrity venues could get when it comes to family and other aspects of my life that have nothing to do with seeking the vp slot. These folks are whack - didn’t know it was as bad as it is… what’s the upside in giving them any celebrity venue a ratings boost? That’s Todd’s input also,” she concludes, in reference to her husband. > [@](#): > > Palin would ultimately make a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live days later. But in her upcoming book she describes the deliberations about whether or not to go on the show much differently than the emails suggest. In “Going Rogue”, the vice presidential candidate writes that “from the beginning, I liked the idea that John and I might appear on the show.” > > “Let’s do this,” I said. “Let’s go on and neutralize some of this, and have some fun!” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521/40 "2009-11-15T09:31:16Z")
A good time for a [Lies of Sarah Palin](http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/the-odd-lies-of-sarah-palin-a-roundup.html) recap. And yes, while one or two may be judgment calls (as Bricker takes pains to mention), the vast majority are fairly clearcut and indisputable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palins-book/517521.md?page=3)