McCain Aides Pan Palin as 'Little Shop of Horrors'

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 30, 2009 2:23 AM CDT
McCain Aides Pan Palin as 'Little Shop of Horrors'
Todd Palin, the "dude" behind the throne.   (Getty Images)

Very late in the presidential campaign, staffers for Sen. John McCain came to the painful realization that it would be impossible, ever, to get Sarah Palin up to speed, reports Vanity Fair. They discovered, too late, she was a truth-shifting, self-regarding "little shop of horrors" who knew little about issues, and stubbornly refused to take direction, writes national editor Todd S. Purdum.

Still, a big-time GOP future remains possible for a woman who has a canny knowledge of how to manipulate connections and mercilessly punish perceived enemies. The woman known in high school as "the barracuda" has the "good fortune to have traction within a political party bereft of strong leadership, and whose rank-and-file often demands qualities other than knowledge and experience," writes Purdum. "It is, at the moment, a party in which the loudest voices, not burdened by responsibility, wield disproportionate power." (More Sarah Palin stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X