So Stupid She's Dangerous

Sarah Palin whined today that she feared that her First Amendment rights were being violated by reporters asking questions.

ABC News:

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

Palin is so stupid she's dangerous, to herself and to the Republic. To start with, the First Amendment guarantees the right of freedom of speech. It doesn't block the right to criticize, and unfortunately it doesn't block the right to say stupid shit in public, either. Palin has it ass-backwards, as usual. The First Amendment gives me the right to say she's an ignorant fool (and why should I miss an opportunity to say so again?), and it gives reporters and columnists the right to question and to criticize her. The First Amendment also explicitly guarantees the right to a free press, and a free press is one that would ask Palin "what the hell are you talking about?" every time she opens her mouth. Fortunately, the media is (mostly) doing that.

Glen Greenwald:

This isn't only about profound ignorance regarding our basic liberties, though it is obviously that. Palin here is also giving voice to the standard right-wing grievance instinct: that it's inherently unfair when they're criticized. And now, apparently, it's even unconstitutional.

According to Palin, what the Founders intended with the First Amendment was that political candidates for the most powerful offices in the country and Governors of states would be free to say whatever they want without being criticized in the newspapers. In the Palin worldview, the First Amendment was meant to ensure that powerful political officials such as herself would not be "attacked" in the papers. Is it even possible to imagine more breathtaking ignorance from someone holding high office and running for even higher office?

I can't WAIT until Tuesday.