Frightening New Information About Sarah Palin Emerges

As Sarah Palin positions herself for what will undoubtedly be a long career in the national spotlight -- whether as the new messiah of social conservatives or a permanent fixture on Fox News -- damning new information about the former VP candidate is beginning to emerge.

Much of it comes from disgruntled former McCain staffers, who since Election Day have engaged in nonstop grousing and finger-pointing, most of it at Palin. Other shocking news about the VP candidate is being released by reporters who were embedded with the McCain campaign.

The new revelations, ranging from the unbelievable extent of her foreign policy ignorance, to her deeply unethical behavior on the campaign trail, are a testament to just how big a bullet Americans dodged on Election Day.

1. Palin Pulled the Trigger Early on Ayers Accusations:

One of the McCain camp's dirtiest and most desperate tricks during the campaign was to unrelentingly harp on Obama's flimsy connection to former Weatherman William Ayers. Few people bought it, and the attacks went a long way toward stripping McCain of the last of his dignity.

As it turns out, the first Ayers attack was prematurely launched by Palin without the approval of McCain's team. Newsweek reports that the McCain camp had not finalized its decision to bring up Ayers (Mark Salter was against it) when Palin blurted the accusation to a group of donors.

2. Palin Didn't Know All of the Countries in NAFTA:

According to Fox reporter Carl Cameron, Palin could not name all of the countries in NAFTA. Presumably, Palin had heard of the three countries before, since she lives in one of them and the other two aren't exactly obscure. But she was unaware that the United States, Mexico and Canada are partnered in one of the most disastrous trade agreements of the last century -- one with catastrophic consequences for those down-home, ordinary folks Palin tried so hard to win over.

3. Palin Thought Africa Is a Country, Not a Continent:

Cameron also reported this startling fact:

There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lacked a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president and a heartbeat away from the presidency. ...

We're told that she didn't understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series -- a country just in itself.

Cameron also said that Palin "didn't accept preparation" for the infamous Katie Couric interview.

For the record, Palin has denied the accusation:

That's kind of a small, evidently bitter type of person who would anonymously charge something foolish like that, that I perhaps didn't know an answer to a question. So until I know who is talking about it, I won't have a comment on false allegations

4. The $150,000 Price Tag for Palin's Wardrobe was a Low Estimate:

Remember that $150,000 price tag that had Republicans upset and the media in a frenzy? Well, Newsweek is reporting that that estimate was a lowball:

Newsweek has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said 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. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

"Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus?" Yeesh, why don't you tell us what you really think? Still, it was disappointing for many hardworking Republican contributors to find out their donated dollars went to buying brand-name clothes by the boatload. So news that the early estimations were low must not brighten any moods. But fear not, Republicans, it has been reported that the RNC has dispatched a lawyer "to Alaska to inventory and retrieve the clothes still in her possession."