Katie Couric dismantling Sarah Palin: VP candidate can't name newspapers she reads

CBS anchor Katie Couric has convinced increasing numbers of critics she's finally got the hang of this evening news anchor gig, most recently through a series of interviews that have quietly shown how little substance GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin brings to the table.

Palin's had a trickle of gaffes the past week, from poking fun at Joe Biden's age on the campaign stump (does she not remember her running mate is the oldest non-incumbent candidate for the job in history?) to her flustered response over questions about the economy during Couric's first swath of interview footage.

Some wonder if Palin isn't pulling the old trick of lowering expectations before a debate performance. But, as NBC's Chuck Todd noted this morning, that's a dangerous game when you lower expectations so much, you begin to look unfit for the job you're seeking.

In Couric's interview with Palin released last night, she can't name a single newspaper or magazine she read regularly before starting the campaign. And as Palin begins to realize how badly she's flubbing the question, she tries to make Couric's question look like an attack on her or Alaska.

As my friend Kelly McBride at Poynter noted recently, asking a political candidate a question they can't answer doesn't equal "gotcha." And McCain surrogates' recent refrain -- that female journalists are beating up on Palin -- is sexist in about 10,000 different ways.

Check it out here, along with a funny news clip from Fox News showing that channel's definition of a split decision between Obama and McCain -- Democrats better hope that counting method isn't used for election results:

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Comments

[RagsTTIger]

Ms Couric has proven herself to be a lightweight "journalist." She shouldn't have left her early morning fluffy gig, where perky works and intellectual curiosity isn't expected.

CBS spent a fortune for her and promotion. They really haven't gotten their money's worth. Her ratings have her languishing in third place, among the big 3, and going deeper.

[drinklime]

THIS IS TYPICAL OF YOU LEFT WING PINKO COMMIES AND YOUR BANZAI JOURNALISM TACTICS

[Wilma]

I don't think I've ever heard Sarah Palin answer a question directly. She rambles, but never answers the question.
Watch her.....she acts like she's afraid to give a direct answer to any questions.
I'd assume from this clip that she reads NO newspapers or magazines. THAT is frightening.
She should be reading them all.

[Wenalway]

Once again, we see what happens when people make personnel choices based on gimmicks.

[LockBull]

Part of me wants to think Palin can't be that stupid... Geez, can't she just blurt out "that Anchorage paper" or "Wall Street Journal" or even "the Times".

I'm tempted to echo the description of her as "Dick Cheyney in Lipstick", but at least he would have said something coherent like "none of your (bleep)ing business"....she may be worse...