The Gaffe Heard 'Round The World

First, let me be fair. There seems to be some truth to this folksy, quaint retelling of the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere."  (No matter how "odd" it might seem to point out these more subtle points in favor of the more salient, which most of us all hold dear about the story.) So, let's leave Sarah alone now, shall we?


On the other hand, let's not. She seems to want to influence the national political scene and perhaps even run for the top spot in the land. That requires some hard thinkin', folks.


What bothers me most, personally, about this video, is how Ms. Palin appears lost. She appears to be stumbling. It reminds me of embarrassing moments in high school when the teacher calls on you and you haven't read the material. And, it's really painful to see a potential leader doing this. And, on this topic. 


There is no "gotcha" question here (as Ms. Palin later claims).  It was a pretty innocent question: "How are you enjoying your tour and what did you learn?" Sort of  akin to the "What did you do on your summer vacation?" essay we were often assigned in the fall of the year at school. This is elementary stuff. And, yet, Sarah looks lost. She doesn't seem to be able to think on her feet. This is frightening.....to me.


(She could have avoided facts, even, and spoken about her impressions and feelings about the trip. That would have been safe territory, right?) 


This is certainly not a difficult diplomatic moment. What would happen when it was a really serious matter with nuance that needs to be handled delicately? Could Ms. Palin pull it off? This is something we need to know about our leaders. It's why we put them on the national stage and evaluate them. It's why we make them debate.


Look, this isn't Rocket Science, no matter how you spin it. It's Paul Revere. Basic American History. Something we all hold in common and can talk about. 


In our hearts, we all want leaders because they represent someone you can look up to. Someone you can trust to take you where you want to go. Someone, who is, in a word, smarter and wiser than you, than most average citizens. It takes something extraordinary to be a leader. That's at the heart of it, what we believe.


But, here we are in modern-day America, where apparently, knowledge, wisdom and leadership values don't matter much. At least to a certain portion of America. They feel instead, threatened by it. They want someone on their own level. Someone they can trust.  Trust to do what? Lead the country in no better fashion than yourself? 


Intelligence, education, experience, knowledge, wisdom, and how you pull all of it together to make tough decisions. That's what we want in a leader. 


No matter how you spin the Revere gaffe, when it comes to what we not only want, but need in a leader, Palin just ain't got it. 


Let's hope she realizes that, too.




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