Tammy Bruce: Suddenly Dana Perino Isn't So Attractive

Suddenly Dana Perino Isn't So Attractive

Cuban Missile Crisis? Huh?

When she first came on the scene, and then when she took over as White House Press Secretary, I always noted on my radio show that I would "listen" to her with the sound off, primarily because she simply didn't sound very smart, or like she knew what she was talking about. She was, however, pleasant to look at.

Then, I gave her a pass when she flattened Helen Thomas at a briefing. I promised to never speak flippantly of Perino again, I was so impressed.

Well, I spoke too soon. This little remark reverses the 'Helen Thomas Pass' I gave her, and sets into stone my initial impression. Color me sad. Very.

Perino's Confession

"Appearing on National Public Radio's light-hearted quiz show Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" the Washington Post says White House press secretary Dana Perino "got into the spirit of things and told a story about herself that she had previously shared only in private: During a White House briefing, a reporter referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis -- and she didn't know what it was."

Said Perino: "I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about... the Cuban Missile Crisis. It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure."

And this is the woman the president trusts with understanding and conveying information to us. One more indication of the president's lack of judgment when it comes to the people with whom he surrounds himself. God help us all.

UPDATE:

Oh Gawd, there's even more. Big Head DC has more of the exchange. Note the end of his post recounting what Perino said to her husband about the issue:

“I came home, and I asked my husband,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Wasn’t that like the Bay of Pigs thing?’ His response: “Oh, Dana.”

Further revealing that she also has no idea what the Bay of Pigs was. But then that makes sense. If you know what that is, you'd also know what the Cuban Missile Crisis refers to. The last example of how vacant this woman may really be: she had no clue that this is the sort of thing one might want to keep secret. For crying out loud.

Bottom line: I think she should be fired. Not because this revelation damages the country directly, but because we need people we can trust in her position based on the fact that they understand what's happening around them. I'm not so sure she can with this lack of intellectual curiosity and general comprehension.

UPDATE:

Hot Air has the painful audio.

Posted by Tammy · December 10, 2007 09:00 AM · Permalink
History | Just Plain Stupid

Comments

She definitely lost attractiveness points here. One of the qualities I find most attractive is intellectual curiosity. Obviously, Ms. Perino doesn't have that. Wow.

Posted by: Kelly at December 10, 2007 09:52 AM

What on heaven's earth would have possessed her to share that little gem on NPR???? One would think the embarassment and mortification of the incident would have kept her from EVER revealing it to anyone else! This displays an incredibly poor lack of judgement. It's a little scary.

Posted by: Kimj7157 at December 10, 2007 10:03 AM

LMAO oh heavens! That seems to sum up this administration these days, doesn't it??

Posted by: PeteRFNY at December 10, 2007 10:16 AM

maybe Dana "misunderestimated" the situation

Posted by: ConnecticutBruce at December 10, 2007 10:24 AM

"Fired" is such a harsh term. How about "replace".....with Tammy? Nope. That would never fly with the administrations administers. She may actually exhibit sanity, logic & competence. That'd never fly with this bunch of liberals.

Posted by: HellDogger at December 10, 2007 10:41 AM

God, only in this administration could a Saturday Night Live skit become a reality. They either started the Christmas party early (like 2 years ago) or they've been hitting the I.Q. deflater heavily since even they can't deal with all the crap going on.

No thanks, Dana, you carry on - I don't smoke that crap.

Posted by: artgal at December 10, 2007 10:55 AM

I am very much counting the days when these stumble bums (including Clueless Condi Rice) are vacant from the White House. My prediction - all these incompetent boobs will be writing memoirs and books where they turn on watch other and on President Bush who loyally (and foolishly) stood by them (see Scott McClellan). His misplaced loyalty will come back to haunt him.

Posted by: Ripper at December 10, 2007 11:16 AM

Wow.

Posted by: The Ugly American at December 10, 2007 11:34 AM

"The Bay Of Pigs Thing"

I was only ten years old when the Missle Crisis happened. Even at that tender age I knew the world had reached some sort of crisis. I've posted before on other blogs about the lack of curiosity that our current generation seems to possess. Are they stupid? Is it the legacy of their parents drug usage? Jesus! I guess if it didn't happen in their lifetimes it isn't worth knowing about. No wonder they're making the same mistakes of previous generations. Lord help us.

Posted by: Rich B at December 10, 2007 01:05 PM

I'm not sure which is worse; that she didn't know about the missile crisis or that she thought it was an amusing anecdote to relate that she didn't know about the missile crisis. This is like being the passenger on a jet where the pilot grins and tells us he's drunk because he thinks we'll find it funny.

It's often the case that people with a smooth façade have no particular depth. This is like the Hollywood celebrities who can rattle off words as if they knew something, but they're nothing more than mildly clever parrots. Unfortunately, politics, like entertainment, is a business where fantasy trumps reality.

This also brings to mind the various variety show segments (such as Jay Leno's "Jay Walking") where the host asks random people on the street random basic questions. "How many days in a year?" "How many states in the USA?" Nobody knows anything. It's terrifying. (Of course, everyone knows about global warming, and that Britney Spears doesn't wear underwear, and that the oil companies suppressed an engine the burns water instead of gasoline, and finally that George Bush is stupid.)

Posted by: Talkin Horse at December 10, 2007 02:03 PM

Aren't we being somewhat arrogant here? She's a press secretary that reports on the actions and statements made by the President. She's not about being a history major. The missle crisis was in 1962. I'm willing to bet 85% of people don't recall what it was about. And for those that say it reflects on this administration, may I remind you of all the goofy statements by past Presidents and V.P.'s. Gee, didn't Al Gore say he invented the internet? Lighten up people! Clinton didn't even know what 'Is' meant.

Posted by: sailinsoul at December 10, 2007 04:36 PM

Even if 99% of the people couldn't tell you about the Cuban Missile Crisis, that wouldn't make it acceptable. I expect more from people, especially people who work for the President of the United States.

I wasn't born until 1965 but I've known about the Cuban Missile Crisis since before high school. I can't be that unique. (Well, I am in many ways, but you know what I mean.) ;)

Posted by: Kelly at December 10, 2007 04:58 PM

Beauty may fade but stupid is forever.

Posted by: gritster at December 10, 2007 05:31 PM

Bush has been a weak, bumbling, milquetoast leader who has been used as a doormat by Congressional Democrats.

But compared to what a President Clinton, Gore, Edwards, or Obama would bring to the White House, Bush looks like the Second Coming of Ronald Reagan. I predict that the public will long for a return of W if one of the four aforementioned bozos wins next year.

We are about to find out just how bad things can get under the demonstrably insane leadership of Democrats. If you thought this year was bad with the Pelosi and Reids' Kool-Aid Krowd, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Posted by: Mwalimu Daudi at December 10, 2007 05:47 PM

It's not expecting too much to want this woman to know SOMETHING about this country. When she is working as the White House Press Secretary, YES! she should be knowledgeable and understand the interplay between events so she can provide coherent feedback and comparisons where necessary. The press itself knew something she did not. How effing embarrassing!

'Wait Wait...', which is a show I love and use to attend the tapings in Chicago, is not a place where someone working for this administration should go and behave like Kelly Bundy (Married W/ Children character - just pointed that out in case Dana is reading this). Frankly, I'm tired of hearing excuses for this president's questionable judgement and that of the madcap and zany characters working for him.

Oh, I've got a question for Dana: What color is an orange?

Posted by: artgal at December 11, 2007 04:59 AM

Much ado about nothing.

Posted by: robert108 at December 11, 2007 09:46 AM

I swear Tammy when I heard you talk about this on the radio, I really wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. My bad. All she had to do was go to the library and read a book.

Posted by: SlimFemme at December 11, 2007 05:08 PM

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