If we could forget about the politics and see it purely as theatre, then Sarah Palin’s problem becomes obvious.
She forgets her lines.
She needs more rehearsal.
It seems obvious that she memorizes answers to certain questions and then freezes up and gets lost. But it’s live, so she has no choice but to blast through to the end.
I’m sure she does much better in rehearsal.
I can almost picture it. Bristol holds the script. Our Tea Party hero starts. She gets off to a good start. Slides in a zinger. And then… she forgets. You can’t hold it against her. She’s had very little time with the script.
She asks for help.
“Line!”
“Sputnik,” says the daughter.
“Sputnik,” says the former governor. “WFT.”
“WTF, Mom.”
And so it goes.
Alas, the task calls for improv, and this is not her forté.
When the camera finally rolls, with no book in hand (unless it’s on her hand), she starts out fine. She looks great. And then forgets a line. She panics, cobbles together a few random keywords from the script, and then, after a moment, detours into some familiar territory. Anything. Pulling it together for a strong, coherent finish (on a completely different subject).