In 8 years I have honestly never heard Bush give a thoughtful and intelligent answer to a question. Ever. But he does have some savvy. He knows how to play off questions. She doesn’t even have that skill. She just starts talking. Some of it makes sense, although not necessarily in relation to the question asked, but mostly it’s just scattered rambling. I’m sure nerves play a big part – it is exactly what a lot of really nervous people do to cover, they babble nonsense – but I think it does definitely also show, if not a lack of intelligence, certainly that she is way over her head.
For the record, several times I’ve actually defended Bush in here by saying that I certainly don’t think he’s stupid. Just disinterested. The major difference between a George Bush and a Bill Clinton is not in the (perhaps large) intelligence gap, but in their intellectual interest. Bush might have been smart, just simplistic, and then on top of that just not interesting in testing that. He didn’t to me seem flat out dumb, or slow, just not interested. Even pro-Bush people, books, articles etc suggest that. He would have appointed his people, taken their advice on whatever topic, and never thought about it himself, simply because he didn’t care for it. There’s a difference between that and Clinton who was often critisised for being difficult in the level of involvement he wanted in everything, but also a big difference between being intellectually lazy and plain stoopid.
There’s no questioning Obama’s intelligence, and there’s no doubt that McCain is intelligent, involved and interested. To be honest, I don’t know a thing about Biden (totally off the radar to someone from Australia). But Palin, shit. Sorry, she’s out of her league. I can’t believe any of the smart conservatives in here honestly, privately, think otherwise. These interviews don’t just show a lack of education on national/international-stage issues that she can catch up on, or a lack of media ability that will come with time. She’s just talking crap. I bet she comes out of there not knowing what she just said, assuming she did real well, and then totally surprised by the reaction.