With the cutting back and forth last night (on MSNBC, at least), it wasn’t always obvious, but Palin spent a lot of time (often at the beginning of her answers) checking her notes on the lectern before her. And we’re not talking about “what’s the name of the US commander in Afghanistan before I misspeak it?” kind of notes but “ah, there’s the talking point and clever quip I was told to make first” kind of notes. Over and over again. Attend:
Remember — this is the woman that McCain says he keeps consulting with for advice.
Charitably, perhaps she was trying to evoke the spirit of Ronald Reagan, himself an inveterate user of little bundles of 3×5 cards. Indeed, she might well have scored some points with the base if she’d been open about it and drawn that connection. Instead, she comes off more as a high school debater (“Um … Okay, first affirmative, plan meet advantage, Time Magazine, September 25th 2007 …”) than as … well … an executive.
(via Les)