DCFOUNTAIN.COM

If Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was trying to dispel the notion that she is — in the words of comedienne Kate Clinton — “Dan Quayle in a ponytail,” she failed miserably this week during her first media interview granted since Sen. John McCain named her as his running mate two weeks ago.

Though clearly polished in the McCain talking points on which she undoubtedly had been endlessly drilled for days, when ABC’s Charlie Gibson’s questions apparently strayed at times from her carefully crammed knowledge base, she would begin rambling — and rambling. Viewers more than once were left with the sense that she had said nothing at all of substance, really. Even though her mouth clearly had been moving. Wasn’t it?

Often her answers directly contradicted widely available facts of her record and stated positions in the past, in a blatantly pandering attempt to appear more mainstream than the extremist conservative ideologue that she is. Who possibly could be against a hockey mom? One with five kids? And a gun, or two. And the know-how to skin an elk with her bare hands?

No word yet on whether she can correctly spell “potato.” But watch the four-part interview below, which began airing Friday, and judge for yourself whether she is ready to ascend — if necessary — directly from the Alaskan frontier to the hallowed grounds of the Oval Office. Today’s Washington Post raises very legitimate questions about her capability to do so.

Part I:

Part II:

(Continued…)