FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Her "One Nation" tour may be taking a brief pit stop in Arizona, stop but the dust Sarah Palin has kicked up along the way has yet to settle.
The former Alaskan governor started off a well publicized family bus tour in Washington on Memorial Day weekend on the back of a Harley Davidson. From there is was on to visit some national historic sites, pizza with Donald Trump, a testy game of cat and mouse with reporters, and upstaging fellow Republican Mitt Romney the day he announced that he's running for president.
Palin later said she did not mean to distract from Mitt Romney's presidential announcement by visiting New Hampshire on the same day. Sure. She said it was a coincidence she ended up in the first primary state on the same day. Sure.
And then there was her elementary American history mistake over the ride of Paul Revere. While visiting Boston, Palin insisted the essence of Revere's midnight ride was to warn the British soldiers they would have a fight on their hands if they tried to take arms away from Americans. Not exactly.
It's true we all make mistakes. Henry David Longfellow's famous poem about Paul Revere has some historical inaccuracies in it - but at least he got right which side Revere was warning.
Palin defended herself yesterday on Fox News Sunday saying "I know my American history," and gave a long-winded explanation of what she really meant. It's like every time Palin makes a mess, she runs to Fox News where they try to kick sand over it.
She may not know a lot about history, but what she does seem to know how to do is draw attention to herself. And that's not necessarily a good thing for the Republicans whether she decides to run for president or not.
Here’s my question to you: Is Sarah Palin's publicity stunt helping or hurting Republican chances in 2012?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
P.T.:
Definitely hurting. Her intellectually challenged comments are killing her, and at the same time, they're drawing media attention away from the serious GOP contenders. The sickening part of all this is the media doesn't seem to care that she's using them.
Mary:
I don't know if she's hurting Republicans, and don't particularly care. I just wonder if the "lame stream media," as she calls it, realizes how ridiculous they look chasing after her. If they ignored her, she'd come courting them soon enough.
Jim:
Sarah's bus tour and publicity stunt won't hurt the Republicans, but just wait until she runs for President. Sarah being on the Republican debate team will be a reminder of the risk John McCain put this country in when he tapped her to be his V.P.
Tom:
America is still reeling from the Bush years. We're not about to elect another moron, so her gaffs are pure distraction. Sunday morning Ron Paul had an intelligent discussion with Candy Crowley. The media is still stunned from Palin thinking that Paul Revere was a British agent so Ron Paul doesn't get coverage.
M. in Texas:
Yes, she hurt them last time, and she is hurting them more now. She needs to sit down and shut up.
Pat in Michigan:
Oh, I think it is hurting the Republicans. If the party cannot control one spoiled rotten publicity hound and get her to school up before she runs her mouth, then what kind of an example is that to the American people? The Republican Party needs to divorce themselves from their pet network and stand on their own two feet based on policy and issue, not photo ops and sound bites.
Michael in Alexandria, Virginia:
It only hurts if she runs and wins the nomination. Anything else will be seen by most as self-promotion, which is a reflection on her, not the GOP.
Carla:
You'd have to be more specific, Jack. WHICH publicity stunt? From where I sit, the woman is a publicity stunt.
