Olbermann rips Palin for not knowing what VP does Nick Cargo and David Edwards

Published: Wednesday October 22, 2008





Print This Email This MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, in Tuesday's "Campaign Comment," held his own special edition of "Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader?" in scathingly addressing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's latest attempt at identifying the duties of the Vice President.



"A Vice President has a really great job," Alaska governor and McCain running mate Sarah Palin told Denver's KUSA-TV on Monday in response to a question submitted by a local third-grader, "because not only are they there to support the President's agenda, they're like the team member--the team mate--to that president. But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate, so if they want to, they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better..."



"Oh, I'm so sorry, Governor," Olbermann said. "The correct answer to that question can be found in the Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 3."



The constitutional duties of the Vice President entail casting a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, and serving as President should the sitting president become incapacitated, resign or die.



"The Vice President," he added, "is not in charge of jack, Governor, let alone in charge of the Senate. And you are not smarter than a third-grader."



"We're just wrapping up eight years of a vice president who had no clue what his damn job consisted of, [and] couldn't even correctly find his governmental branch with both hands. The last thing anybody in this country wants, Republican or Democrat, is another buccaneer in there making it up as they go along, and presuming, in your case, that you can stride into the Senate and change policy if you want to.



"Besides which, Governor, exactly how on Earth could you not have the correct answer by now? It's not like this is the first time you've been asked about the vice presidency and gone all Miss South Carolina on us!"



"Maybe I'm raising the bar too high," he closed, "but at least I'd wait until you achieve office before trying to seize power extraconstitutionally! The founders, Governor, were not George Bush and Dick Cheney!"



This video is from MSNBC's Countdown, broadcast October 21, 2008.









Download video via RawReplay.com







