Crib notes?... tell me again how prepared Palin is...

I don't think she is or will ever be qualified. The notes on her hand was so unbelievable. I just wish she will go away far, far away and out of the public eye. For her to stand up and put President Obama down while she couldn't even answer a simple question as to what she reads. She has alot of gaul.

hi valentinesdiner Sarah Pa;in is really rather stupid and when asked ordinary questions she failed pathetically in subjects most youngsters could have answered. She might be a nice person but she is not overly endowed with brains from my viewpoint.leave her in Alaska, she belongs there. Sorry Sarah I sure would never ever vote for you.

So you find crib notes to be an example of being unprepared, yet relying on a teleprompter to give the president every single word he speaks is just fine? How much could she possibly have written on her hand? Seriously, thing about it. At best she had a few points on her hand she wanted to touch on, not a speech.

Everyone keeps focusing on the speech itself and, imo, it's acceptable to use notes and a teleprompter when someone has a lot of material to cover. What I found disturbing was that Palin had to refer to "the hand" during the interview following the speech. Obama, as far as I know, has managed to answer a lot of questions from a lot of folks at town hall meetings and such many times without assistance because he apparently knows the material. Palin didn't appear to.

Valentines, I have never in my life defended Sarah Palin, but if your look at our history you will see that we have elected people that were less qualified. See George W. Bush!

it does look very unprofessional - why didn't she just do what most politicians do when they can't answer a question - come out with completely irrelevant burble that sort of sounds right?

Writing the notes in her palm, I think was kind of childish. I don't see the big deal. The President uses his teleprompter for every speech so what's the difference. The few times he did not use his teleprompter it was a lot um hum, hum. I think Palin is picked on by the media because she is female and a republican. The President inability to communicate without a teleprompter is more of an issue. He is the President Palin is not. I really don't care what Palin does it does not affect me in anyway. I will never vote for her. I do not care for her political views, but I am not happy with Obama's record in office either, and what he does affects me.

I would write notes a piece of paper. I do not think it is right for people to think that Obama is so wonderful because he uses a teleprompter. So why is he qualified for public office? If he were honest, he would use his own words, or at least say "sorry but I am not that good at writing speeches, as I put my foot in my mouth and have someone do it for me." At least Palin is showing that she is a little nervous and gets flustered in front of a crowd. And Bush used his own words even though he felt "everyone will laugh at me," but Obama reads a perfectly prepared speech and you think he is wonderful. Oh did he ever tell the American public that he is going to oration classes? No.

I think the thing that's being missed here is that the palm notes weren't used during the speech but during the question and answer session after the speech. For the speech itself, it looked like she was reading something on the lectern now and then, which is fine, I wouldn't expect anyone to memorize a 45 minute speech. Not Palin, not Bush and not Obama. For those who have been saying otherwise, yes, George W. Bush DID use teleprompters. There was even a time when he was to speak before the UN that they had spelled out certain words and names phonetically so he'd know how to prounce them. I have no problem with THAT either, I sure can't pronounce half of the world leaders' names. The bad thing with Palin is they should spell out "nuclear" (nu-cle-ar not nuc-u-ler) phonetically. Also, the scariest part of her every getting into any office again is her obvious ignorance about foreign affairs. "Declare war on Iran"...WTF!! Annie

At least all she needed was a very few cryptic letters on her hand. Obama is completely lost if he doesn't have everything in large letters on a telepromter.

Do you know what was written on her hand? She had the words "Energy" "Tax" and "Lift Americans Spirits" written there. She didn't have statistics, policy positions, a speech or the answers to questions on there. What she had was a reminder - so she could make sure she mentioned all the things she wanted to talk about. If she had a lot of info on those positions written there, maybe you could say she used crib notes. To say that those three words are "preparation" for tthe speech is like saying that if you gave a speech at the Copenhagen Summit, having the words "climate change" written on your hand would make you sound more informed than you are.

How many people do you know who give a speech, be it a minister, a President, a politician or whoever, who doesn't use either notes or a teleprompter? So what if she used crib notes on her hand. Obama isn't any less a President because he uses a teleprompter or a minister any less a servant of God because he uses notes in his sermon. Public speaking can be very unnerving and sometimes a speaker needs props to give them a little more self assurance. I think you just don't like Sarah Palin.

Well, we all know how it's going to go already. The Palin bashers will not cut her any slack. They will use things like this as confirmation of "her" stupidity, ineptitude, etc. It seems to show how desperately Palin bashers want to be right about her. It's like they're literally scared that they may be proven wrong, so they pounce at every conceivable opportunity to reaffirm their stance amongst likeminded folks. That's never going to change. Likewise with the hardcore Palin supporters. They would never admit that anything she does is wrong or "taboo" or whatever... It is what it is on that front. It's the same with Obama. The lion's share of folks bashing Palin would--and they repeatedly do!--intentionally ignore an Obama faux pas, while some folks who stick up for Palin would come down harder on him. But looking at this impartially, if anyone would be so bold to do so, you might be able to inject some logic into the situation. Look at the situation and not the person. I know it's difficult. I know no one wants to. But "notes" seem quite common to a guy like me. Remember that old string around the finger thing? The string doesn't say that you have a doctor's appointment on 9am Tuesday, but seeing the string reminds you of the purpose for which you tied it on in the first place. Thus you have an effective little personal planner. As a writer, I'm forever taking research notes for my job. Instead of some brand of shorthand or abbreviations or reference links, I write down target words. For instance, if I'm going to write casino reviews as a "loyal" customer, as I have to do so often, I'll create a template for writing the text. This template will have four or five target words. I know what I'm going to write. I know everything that I need to write. But while writing, it's easy to leave a section out or to forget a few key points. So, I'll look at the page and see the word "Bonus." This lets me know to flesh out details about the bonus structure of the casino. I'll also have words like "payment," "software," and "games." Yes, they seem like easy enough things to remember, but it's surprisingly easy to forget to elaborate on them. But by glancing down and seeing "payment," I'm reminded of all the various points I need to stress. It's quick, it's effective and it's a shame that some haughty elitists would frown a working formula. I mean, I could copy what someone else wrote from a screen verbatim, and that would be surprisingly acceptable in the land of the elite. Where's the logic? Seriously. Having something to remind you to elaborate on topics doesn't seem so much like a crime to me. In my opinion, it doesn't make you stupid or ill prepared to speak. It just means you'd like to have a reminder of certain things you would like to elaborate on. How this became a news story is beyond me. Sometimes people act way too smart to be taken seriously. At some point, it's just laughable the way some attack people for doing simplistic things.

Sarah Palin is infinitely more qualified and is head and shoulders above the monster usurper-in-chief both in character and in experience. She is bright and capable and seems a genuine, principled human being, unlike the deceiver teleprompter man. I think writing on her hand was foolish, but this pecadillo has been blown way out of proportion by the Obama-drunk media. Even in face of the fact that his criminal minions have done everything possible to ruin and destroy her, she remains brave and courageous in pursuit of her beliefs. That being said, I hope she does not become just another "politician". I have admired her speeches, content and style, and her spiritual beliefs and demeanor. I hope the reception she gets re popularity and recognition do not change her and that she does not descend to the level of most pandering politicians.

I would rather have a person write a few words on their hand than not even know how to pronounce the words on a teleprompter. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ZlKIfzoC8D0#t=54 Having done some public speaking I know that many speakers will use notes to make sure they cover specific points. I have also seen them asked to make comments to a group without time to prepare. A good speaker will take a scrap of paper a napkin or even their hand and make a couple of quick points to cover. I know because I have been asked to say a few words at retirement dinners or or other gatherings. These speeches are not planned and you have about 5 minutes or less to get ready for it. Putting a few words on hour hand is not out of line as silly as it may seem.

I'm sure your right, she should carry around a big ole teleprompter!

Let me see if I understand you. You think Sarah Palin isn't qualified to be president because she wrote crib notes on her hand? Is that the sum total of your argument? She has a few notes on her hand. Obama has to have a teleprompter. Except that Palin uses fewer notes, what's the difference? I do not think Palin is ready to be president, but even after one year as president, neither is Obama.

Maybe she can't afford to have a teleprompter at her beck and call the way Obama does. All politicians have speech writers. Surely you don't really think our President has all those answers to all the pre-selected questions do you?