Again, it just never stops with these guys:
Sarah Palin has committed yet another political blunder after claiming she had held talks with a British ambassador – talks that never actually took place.
In an answer to questions about her foreign policy experience ahead of tonight’s make-or-break vice presidential TV debate, her aides listed numerous contacts with foreign officials – including Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir Nigel Sheinwald.
However the meeting never occurred. Officials at the embassy swiftly contacted the McCain-Palin campaign to inform them of the discrepancy.
A British Embassy spokesman said the error arose after Sir Nigel’s name was listed among those who had attended a US Governor’s meeting in July.
Mrs Palin was at the meeting in her role as Governor of Alaska. However Sir Nigel pulled out at the last minute, leaving his name on the guest list.
Look, it is clear what is going on. Despite their nonsensical efforts to pump up her foreign policy cred with tales of her leadership of the Alaska National Guard and her ability to stare down Putin from the Diomede Islands (forget that she has, you know, never actually visited said islands, and, as such, has never seen Russia from Alaska, not even from her house), it is clear that the campaign is freaking out about her lack of experience. And so, they have done what other inexperienced and unqualified people have done for ages- they are sifting through anything she has done, and inflating the importance to make her look better.
There is another phrase to describe this phenomenon- resume padding. And that is what this is.
wvng
John,
I find myself liking your new site design. You may pad your resume with this any day. :-)
crack
What’s weird is that plenty of Gov’s have no foreign policy experience. Bush had famously never left North America before he was President, and he started a war in his first term. Why didn’t she just admit she had little foreign policy experience and be done with it?
Ned Raggett
Now now, Crack, you heard McCain. He relies on her foreign policy advice, after all.
Marshall
If I was interviewing her for a job, and detected all of this resume padding, she sure wouldn’t get the job.
I once had a candidate who the summer after high school did some computer work for someone who had a contract with Large Corporation X. On the resume that came out as "helped Large Corporation X develop their new IT infrastructure" or somesuch. In the interview, it turned out he didn’t do any programming and IIRC mostly moved boxes full of computers. Even though he did get to see the boxes, he didn’t get the job.
Scott H
"Résumé padding" is being generous.
Cris v.3.1
The discussion at Pandagon about Impostor syndrome got me to thinking about my own relationship to my achievements. I don’t claim to experience full-blown impostor syndrome, but I definitely feel pretty modest about whatever accomplishments I’ve made. I know too well that everything I have came with the help and support of people around me, with favorable circumstances and a good bit of luck.
As such, when it comes to job-seeking, I tend to understate my experience on my resume. The last thing I want is to be overplaced!
So I really can’t understand the kind of personality that Sarah Palin represents. She (like GW) is all about the resume padding, overstating the importance of the smallest matters to sound like huge responsibilities.
I mean really, even if Sir Sheinwald had been at that Governor’s meeting, even if Palin had met him face-to-face, in what world would that count as foreign policy experience? I mean, I shook Bill Clinton’s hand once, but I wouldn’t say that gives me experience on the national political scene.
Jay Andrew Allen
Sarah Palin is the best thing to happen to feminism in decades. Seriously. She is living proof that a woman can be just as unqualified for the Vice Presidency as any man.
Can this campaign make a single 24 hour news cycle without lying? I double dog dare ’em.
uila
I hope there’s no promising young politicians on their way up in Alaska, because I suspect Palin has poisoned any chance there will be another Alaskan on the national ticket – rightly or wrongly – for many decades to come.
Brian J
I posed this question in an earlier thread, but either the formatting was messed up so nobody read it, or everyone is ignoring me. Allow me to ask it again. A few days ago, I was walking past the Barnes & Noble near my job and saw a sign that was advertising an appearance by Steve Doocy from Faux News in a few weeks. I was thinking of going in and asking him about his ridiculous assertion that Palin has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia, but I don’t want to look like a maniac.
What do you guys think?
Jeff
She could not even name a Supreme Court decision she spoke about three months ago that affected her state and she disagreed with.
Video
LiberalTarian
It is a hallmark of incompetence that it does not recognize it’s own incompetence.
The GOP does not recognize that it does not know anything. They tossed the knows-how-to-do-stuff baby out with the bathwater a long time ago.
Oh hey, how cool. We CAN EDIT now. Fantastic.
uila
@Brian J: Nevermind Palin, I’d ask him to what extent growing up with a name that kids use to describe excrement influenced his republicanism and all around ass-clownishness
Zifnab
I think if you expect to get a straight – or even remotely intelligent – answer out of Steve Doocy, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Comrade Napoleon
Brian J. says:
I was thinking of going in and asking him about his ridiculous assertion that Palin has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia, but I don’t want to look like a maniac.
What do you guys think?
I say do it, but make up a name when you tell him who you are. Something like John Cole.
w vincentz
@ Brian J,
I would, but not being you, it’s up to you.
I’m not talkin’ a maybe. It will either be y or n.
The Other Steve
OUCH!
Rolling Stone McCain article
Dennis - SGMM
What do you guys think?
I think that you should ask Douchey if he’d volunteer to have Palin give him a couple of fillings, or maybe a root canal. She’s near teeth, too. Unlike Russia, she’s actually seen teeth.
Punchy
Check this shit out. This, it would appear, would be the WRONG WAY to debate a man with about a 30-year gap on experience:
Biden will be fair at first, methinks, but if Concern Troll Palin starts to blast him, I have a feeling he will just fucking bury her. I hope he does.
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
There is another phrase to describe this phenomenon-
resume paddinglying. And that is what this is.fixt!
tripletee (formerly tBone)
24 hours? For the past couple of weeks they’ve been lucky if they can go 24 minutes.
Chuck Butcher
I’ll be nice and not ignore you ;-)
How you frame the question is what will or will not make you look like anything. Write down various versions and say them. Once you think you’ve got something that sounds pretty natural (is asking Doocy anything a natural act?) try it out on a friend or spouse or… If they don’t react as though you’ve got your head up your ass you’re probably good. If you play their stupid game of coming off as confrontational you’ll look bad – as bad as them.
Don’t expect an answer or if you get words that they’ll be ones that mean squat.
Jeff
@Brian J:
Hey arrows are back. Also, I don’t believe that is the dumbest thing he has said.
And apparently, its genetic.
gang green
There is another phrase to describe this phenomenon–bullshit. And that is what this is.
Fern
Oh, look – numbered comments!
uila
@uila: Also: was he best friends with Freddy Crappo, or were they mortal enemies?
(Speaking of ass-clowns, am I the frist one to reply to my own comment?? This is a sad sorry day…)
Ash Can
"Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate…"
Oh, yes, please. Excellent idea! What could possibly go wrong?
Comrade Face
Anecdotal story — everyone, and I mean everyone, at my work is talking about tonite’s debate. I’ve heard "trainwreck", "disaster", and clueless, and that’s just in the last 5 minz.
This thing is going to approach Superbowl-esque ratings.
Dennis - SGMM
Punchy@18, it will be even more hilarious. Palin’s attacks will be complete non-sequitars as she attempts to make her canned responses into answers to substantive questions.
Ifill: Can a U.S. administration do anything to reverse the effects of Global Warming?
Palin: Joe Biden voted against the first Gulf War. Obama says that the Surge isn’t working. Real Joe six-pack Americans know they’re wrong. It’s like moose hunting; first you fly around until you find a moose and then you hafta’….
HumboldtBlue
"Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate…"
What else can she do? She can’t answer simple questions about domestic policy, foreign policy or the Constitution and law. She can’t name a newspaper or magazine she reads regularly. She can’t explain any of the claims that have been made about her experience, knowledge or record.
She can’t lose this thing unless she stops breathing on stage. There is no bar set for her, the bar was removed the moment McCain picked her as veep. Therefore, all she has to do is get some zingers in on the "experienced old hand of DC" and the talking heads and of course, the caterwauling wingnuts, will scream to the heavens about how she held her own.
Eric U.
I recently saw someone say that they felt like they had to downgrade resumes by 10%. You have to downgrade Palin’s resume by 110%
I was working on my resume today, it’s painful.
peach flavored shampoo
Why does Kos say this?
Specifically, the bolded part. Why is a tie a win for Obama? Sorry, my last civics class was eons ago.
Nice site upgrade Sir Cole.
MR Bill
In a McCain-Palin administration, there will be a Cabinet level Secretary of Making Shit Up.
Jeff
@peach flavored shampoo: Because Democrats will win the House and that’s the tie breaker.
MR Bill
In a McCain-Palin administration, there will be a Cabinet level Secretary of Making Shit Up.
And Steve Doocy, late of Fox News, will be that Secretary.
Brian J
I hope so.
A few weeks ago, one commentator on television said one of the things that drives conservatives nuts about Barack Obama is that he’s so popular: he can in fact fill a football stadium with 80,000 people screaming their heads off, raise more money than anyone, ever, and inspire such loyalty among millions of volunteers. In other words, he can make politics popular in a way that nobody else can. I’d love for a member of his team, Joe Biden, to help move that narrative along.
peach flavored shampoo
@Jeff: the House votes for the tie-breaker, eh? Damn, I had no idea.
Thanks.
Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)
Ya’ll should run over to Tbogg’s casa and check out the photo caption. You’ll be glad you did.
Comrade Napoleon
"Why is a tie a win for Obama? "
Because it then goes to the house for the tie-breaking vote and it is assumed that it is unlikely they will give it to McCain since it will all but certainly be controlled by the Dems (with increased margins to boot).
Patrick Lightbody
Did anyone else also notice this lovely quote by our future VP?
It’s been a while since I took my high school American history, but my "dumbass" meter went in to overdrive as I was reading that.
Jay in Oregon
The McCain campaign finally found a suitable interviewer for Sarah Palin — Hugh Hewitt.
—–
Hugh Hewitt: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?
Sarah Palin: I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying, “You know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency.” […]
Товарищ НеинтереснаяСобака
I’m not so sure on the tie being a win for Obama. If the electors do, in fact, deliver a tied vote, Obama would probably win among state legislatures (although several would have to vote against their voters). BUT, there’s little chance of the electors actually delivering a tied vote even if that’s what the vote count says they should do. The Republicans would have no qualms about "convincing" electors to switch to avoid a catastrophic tie, and they’d probably push recounts and legal challenges to the votes before it got to that point.
Basically, if there’s a tie, McCain wins through fraud.
Comrade Napoleon
You have to be on drugs to think one of the electors will flip to McCain. There is no way the campaingns pick anything other then the most rock ribbed kool-aid drinking supporters to be in that position. They are the type of people who would take a bullet for Obama.
Its more likely if it got to the house that they could flip enough of them, although with what is sure to be expanded majorities that would be highly unlikely, if for no other reason then none of the Dems would be willing to stick their heads out of the fox hole to be the ones to vote for the Republicans to bring it to the point where it would flip.
Example, say the Dems only had a majority of 2 in the house. Well if 3 Dem congresspeople got together and agreed to flip, then they could feel fairly comfortable that they could flip it. But if the margin is something like 25, do you really think that the first 24 of those congresspeople are going to have the guts to vote for the Republican on the belief that the remaining 24 are going to do it? No way, too much of a risk they fall short and end up walking the party plank and get assigned to the tolet cleaning committee and no earmarks.
MR Bill
More shit Palin makes up: Jefferson is not on record as saying :"Never underestimate the wisdom of the people" as the Tundra Tyrant claimed in the Kouric interview…
http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/when-palin-misquoted-thomas-jefferson.html
The nasty old sexist did say "The tender breasts of ladies were not formed for political convulsions." …
SGEW
They shall call it "The Department of Truth." Or maybe just "The Justice Department."
Whatever.
. . .
Actually, on further thought, judging by the total triumph-of-dadaism campaign that McCain/Palin are running, they might just call it "The Department of Fishcakes Boomerang Tulip Head" or something.
MR Bill
Actually, on further thought, judging by the total triumph-of-dadaism campaign that McCain/Palin are running, they might just call it "The Department of Fishcakes Boomerang Tulip Head" or something.
Heh!
I suppose it would prove their heart’s belong to Dada…
(ducks)
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
It’s been a while since I took my high school American history, but my "dumbass" meter went in to overdrive as I was reading that.
Pay no attention to that word Federalist and the contrast it has to the word Statist, Sarah doesn’t understand that F word and it’s too hard for her to realize the disconnection between national and states rights.
In Sarah’s world, what is someone who believes in national instead of state’s rights called? I wonder.
SGEW
The word "Federalist" doesn’t mean anything anymore. Even the notoriously slippery phrase "Strict Constructionist" has more definite meaning.
In other words, "Federalist" can mean whatever the hell people want it to mean. It’s like the "Aloha" of jurisprudence.
MR Bill
In other words, "Federalist" can mean whatever the hell people want it to mean. It’s like the "Aloha" of jurisprudence.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure the contortions of the Federalist Society would make Hamilton and Madison puke…
Cris v.3.1
@peach flavored shampoo:
Markos says it’s a tie because of the italicized part:
In other words, Obama has 269 (a tie) even if you only count the states that are no contest. Assuming he keeps those "outside the battleground" states, he only has to win one battleground to win the whole thing. And he almost certainly will.
Cris v.3.1
… and by the way, it wasn’t Markos saying it, it was Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.
And now that I look at it, Silver is making the 12th Amendment argument others are making here, that the House would throw a tie to Obama.
Stuck in the Fun House
Fixed for FF3. fandamntastic!!
comrade thalarctos
So, she lived in Moscow, Idaho and thought she was in Moscow, USSR.
Hey, she was a little confused.
Could happen to anyone.
If they were drunk enough.
jake
blun·der /ˈblʌndər/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[bluhn-der] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a gross, stupid, or careless mistake: That’s your second blunder this morning.
–verb (used without object) 2. to move or act blindly, stupidly, or without direction or steady guidance: Without my glasses I blundered into the wrong room.
3. to make a gross or stupid mistake, esp. through carelessness or mental confusion: Just pray that he doesn’t blunder again and get the names wrong.
–verb (used with object) 4. to bungle; botch: Several of the accounts were blundered by that new assistant.
5. to utter thoughtlessly; blurt out: He blundered his surprise at their winning the award.
—————————————————————-
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME blunderen, blondren, (v.)
Tom
This story makes sense. If she believes she can get foreign policy experience from being in the vicinity of Russia, then why wouldn’t being in the vicinity of a Brit ambassador count as a meeting? I mean, it’s not her fault he wasn’t actually there.
jake
lie 1/laɪ/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[lahy] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, lied, ly·ing.
–noun 1. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.
2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture: His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.
3. an inaccurate or false statement.
4. the charge or accusation of lying: He flung the lie back at his accusers.
–verb (used without object) 5. to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.
6. to express what is false; convey a false impression.
–verb (used with object) 7. to bring about or affect by lying (often used reflexively): to lie oneself out of a difficulty; accustomed to lying his way out of difficulties.
—Idioms
8. give the lie to, a. to accuse of lying; contradict.
b. to prove or imply the falsity of; belie: His poor work gives the lie to his claims of experience.
9. lie in one’s throat or teeth, to lie grossly or maliciously: If she told you exactly the opposite of what she told me, she must be lying in her teeth. Also, lie through one’s teeth.
—————————————————————-
[Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE lyge; c. G Lüge, ON lygi; akin to Goth liugn; (v.) ME lien, OE léogan (intransit.); c. G lügen, ON ljūga, Goth liugan]
Kevin
I still crack up every time I see this image:
!http://www.boingboing.net/images/x_2008/putinrearshishead.jpg!