"Orphan Annie" Palin

Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.

But in this case, Sarah Palin may have earned the role of the failed McCain campaign's Orphan Annie.

Not to pile on, but the nation needs to know how close it came to electing this cartoon-of-a-candidate as the president-in-waiting.

Thanks to Newsweek's release of the highlights of their Special Election Report, we now know that Sarah Palin didn't know that Africa was a continent, couldn't name the U.S., Canada and Mexico as the countries in NAFTA... in short there was great concern within the McCain campaign that Palin lacked "a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, a heartbeat away from the presidency." (HuffingtonPost)

Of course, we must halt right here. Just why didn't the campaign know she was borderline ignorant about matters of national import? But that is another story. This one is about orphan Sarah.

The $150,000 spending spree on clothes?.... it was Sarah who spent the money, and it was much more than reported. One campaign aide characterized it as , "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast."

Newsweek learned that "...Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent 'tens of thousands' more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband."

The embarrassing interview with Katie Couric?.... her staff wanted to prep her but she refused, and then when she bombed she turned on them. She read all her press clippings, throwing "tantrums" over the more critical ones.

"Palin was apparently a nightmare for her campaign staff to deal with. She refused preparation help for her interview with Katie Couric and then blamed her staff, specifically Nicole Wallace, when the interview was panned as a disaster. After the Couric interview, Fox News reported, Palin turned nasty with her staff and began to accuse them of mishandling her. Palin would view press clippings of herself in the morning and throw 'tantrums' over the negative coverage. There were times when she would be so nasty and angry that her staff was reduced to tears." (HuffingtonPost)

It was reported that "McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign." So he was evidently worse than surprised when "Palin launched her attack on Obama's association with William Ayers before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting." (HuffingtonPost)

So, is this just campaign-insider sour grapes from the losing McCain camp? Anyone who watched Palin's pathetic Couric interview knows better. Palin, perhaps deservedly, is the perfect orphan of McCain's failure.

But unlike Orphan Annie, Palin seems to be permanently separated from Daddy Warbucks McCain. As for the country.... leapin' lizards, that was a close one!