Ken Jennings defends Sara Palin

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Bob Juch · #1 Post by **Bob Juch** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:55 pm

I was honored to receive the National Review’s endorsement for vice president of the United States yesterday! (Read the last graf.) Sorry, Mark Goldblatt. If nominated, I will not run, even if it would get McCain to shake up the ticket. I want to see that shotgun wedding October surprise as much as anyone. I’ve never seen bridesmaids in moose fur.

Does it bother me to have my name used like this this? Especially in (intended unflattering) comparison with Sarah Palin, the only vice presidential nominee in U.S. history who makes Dan Quayle look statesmanlike? Not really. Apparently there was a linguistic niche in English: we needed some shorthand phrase for “nerdy gentleman who knows a lot of useless stuff.” And I was there!

But I don’t buy the implied argument that facts don’t matter to a world leader. We’ve been trying that for eight years, haven’t we? (Rim shot.) Yes, once elected to national office, a Sarah Palin would have a massive staff briefing her on issues. Yes, it’s her decision-making processes that matter more than “mere facts.”

But consider: informed decisions are based on how well we’ve mastered and weighed the “mere facts.” (That’s what the “informed” part means.) When our vice president is meeting with a foreign leader, wouldn’t we like it if they’d, say, spoken with that leader before about common interests and issues? Or can at least chat confidently and intelligently on mutually important subjects, even if they’ve never met? Think of the rapport you gain. Sure, you can be studying world capital flash cards in the back of Air Force Two on the way to Belarus, but if you already know the basics, you can relax, focus on nuance, etc. Leadership isn’t a replacement for knowledge. It’s built upon it.

By now, expectations for Palin are so low that I’m sure she’ll do just fine against Biden tomorrow, even if she doesn’t manage to name-check me. Of course, Quinnipac currently has Obama +8 in Ohio and Florida and +15 in Pennsylvania, so it doesn’t matter if she recites pi to 300 places or face-plants into the microphone. It’s over.

Right, Wordplay Wednesday. Speaking of the election: what award-winning children’s book contains in its title the name of an important public figure this election cycle, if you interpose just two adjacent letters?

This is syndicated from ken-jennings.com.

peacock2121 · #2 Post by **peacock2121** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:04 pm

I am surprised that such an intelligent guy would say it's over based on polls in Ohio and Florida more than a month before the elections.

TheConfessor · #3 Post by **TheConfessor** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:07 pm

Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.

mntetn · #4 Post by **mntetn** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:12 pm

Ken Jennings wrote:Leadership isn’t a replacement for knowledge. It’s built upon it.

I like this!

(No political statement is made or implied)

JBillyGirl · #5 Post by **JBillyGirl** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:12 pm

TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.

I think Bob was/is being facetious. He does that sometimes.

As for his Word Play Wednesday, I'm guessing the answer he's looking for is

Spoiler

Sarah Plain and Tall (I didn't know it was a children's book, but then I don't know anything other than the fact that the rather non-plain Glenn Close played the title role on TV.)

danielh41 · #6 Post by **danielh41** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:13 pm

TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.

I think Bob was being sarcastic...

silvercamaro · #7 Post by **silvercamaro** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:14 pm

danielh41 wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
I think Bob was being sarcastic...

Say it ain't so! Bob recently proclaimed that sarcastic people were "snarky."

gsabc · #8 Post by **gsabc** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:18 pm

silvercamaro wrote:
danielh41 wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
I think Bob was being sarcastic...
Say it ain't so! Bob recently proclaimed that sarcastic people were "snarky."

Maybe he was being sarcastic in his sleep.

You know.

Snarkolepsy.

silvercamaro · #9 Post by **silvercamaro** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:19 pm

gsabc wrote:
Maybe he was being sarcastic in his sleep.

You know.

Snarkolepsy.

That's a wonderful new word. I want it in the dictionary nownownow.

peacock2121 · #10 Post by **peacock2121** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:32 pm

silvercamaro wrote:
danielh41 wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
I think Bob was being sarcastic...
Say it ain't so! Bob recently proclaimed that sarcastic people were "snarky."

and Palin is snarky.

SportsFan68 · #11 Post by **SportsFan68** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:07 pm

JBillyGirl wrote:Sarah Plain and Tall (I didn't know it was a children's book, but then I don't know anything other than the fact that the rather non-plain Glenn Close played the title role on TV.)

That bugged me too. I don't think I've ever seen a movie where the character was supposed to be plain and actually was plain.

Well . . . Marty, maybe (Ernest Borgnine).

Bob Juch · #12 Post by **Bob Juch** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:29 pm

TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.

He said:

By now, expectations for Palin are so low that I’m sure she’ll do just fine against Biden tomorrow...

VAdame · #13 Post by **VAdame** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:03 pm

JBillyGirl wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
I think Bob was/is being facetious. He does that sometimes.

As for his Word Play Wednesday, I'm guessing the answer he's looking for is
Spoiler
Sarah Plain and Tall (I didn't know it was a children's book, but then I don't know anything other than the fact that the rather non-plain Glenn Close played the title role on TV.)

I sent a bunch of Sarah Palin anagrams to Anagram Genius (they're still pending approval), but that one was a little too easy! Here are the rest:

Sarah Palin = A plain rash
Has anal rip or (Ha, anal rips)
I sharp, anal
& my personal favorite -- Piranha Sal!

Sarah Heath Palin = Aha, a shrapnel hit
Hale, harsh pinata

Governor Sarah Palin = Honors a Naval griper
A Naval honorer's prig
Rips Naval Gonorrhea

And I can't take credit for this one; another member came up with it:

Mrs. Sarah Louise Heath Palin = I'm a liar or elephant's ass, huh?

More Palin-Grams Here

sunflower · #14 Post by **sunflower** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:06 pm

Bob Juch wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
He said:
By now, expectations for Palin are so low that I’m sure she’ll do just fine against Biden tomorrow...

To me, that doesn't sound like a statement in defense of her! That sounds like an insult!

Estonut · #15 Post by **Estonut** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:29 pm

sunflower wrote:
Bob Juch wrote:
TheConfessor wrote:Huh? How is he defending Sarah Palin? That's not how I read it.
He said:
By now, expectations for Palin are so low that I’m sure she’ll do just fine against Biden tomorrow...
To me, that doesn't sound like a statement in defense of her! That sounds like an insult!

One can't be the best at everything.

Bob is not the best objective reporter of news.