Understatement of the Year

Audette, posing as Sarkozy, speaks in an exaggerated French accent and drops ample hints that the conversation is a joke. But Palin seemingly does not pick up on them.

Associated Press

For nearly six minutes, AK Gov. Sarah Palin actually believed she was speaking with Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France. In fact, the only thing Palin seems to know about the real Nicolas Sarkozy is that he recently married a "former hot top model."

Palin evinces not a hint of skepticism throughout, despite Audette's outrageously phony accent — "from my ass I can see Belgium" — and ridiculous references to the "French Elvis" Johnny Hallyday and "the Prime Minister of Canada" Stef Carse, a Quebec entertainer best known for his Francophone rendition of Achy Breaky Heart.

Canada's Prime Minister is Stephen Harper, a Conservative who just won re-election two weeks ago, as even Sarah Palin should know, since the alleged centerpiece of her governorship is a $26b natural gas pipeline running 1500 miles through that country.

Yet Palin simply prattles away, reciting from her stump speech.

The Palin-McCain campaign claims she was "mildly amused" by the stunt. It sure doesn't sound like it, as the prank is exposed and Palin demands the radio station's call letters, then hands the phone back to her assistant with a disgusted "For Christ's sake."

Many Americans are unconcerned about this country's perception throughout the world, and I suppose I can understand why that is.

But an astonishingly witless and revealing performance like this latest of Sarah Palin's does little to improve that perception.