White House Press Secretary Dana Perino

White House spokeswoman thought Cuban Missile Crisis was 'that Bay of Pigs thing'

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White House Press Secretary Dana Perino admitted that she did not know what the Cuban Missile Crisis was until very recently. She was unable to respond effectively to a reporter's question that cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's comparison of the Cuban crisis to present day Russia-US relations. Putin blames deteriorating relations on US plans to station interceptor missiles in Eastern Europe.

Perino made the admission on the weekend of December 8, 2007, as a guest on NPR's 'Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me'. It wasn't until Perino got home and asked her husband that she learned of the event's significance. According to Perino, she asked her husband "wasn't that like the Bay of Pigs thing?" and he responded, "Oh Dana."

-Editorial follows-

Mrs. Perino, not knowing about our country's closest brush with nuclear annihilation is troubling. And perhaps there are others who also confuse the Bay of Pigs with the Cuban missile crisis. And if so, they should read up on the events at Wikipedia. But they certainly shouldn't consider applying for a job as White House Press Secretary.

And even though 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me' is fairly comedic at times, this is no laughing matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin is using some really scary rhetoric. And remember it was just in October '07 when Bush used similar rhetoric, saying the crisis with Iran could lead to World War III.

The two most powerful leaders in the world, each with the two largest nuclear weapons inventories on earth are referencing all out war. Maybe history wasn't Perino's favorite subject in school. But it really doesn't matter. It's clear she wasn't paying attention and certainly doesn't belong speaking on behalf of the White House on foreign policy matters.

In fairness though, Mrs. Perino isn't alone. President Bush himself may even be less informed. After Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told Bush in August '07 (before Bush's WWIII statement) that there was new information on Iran, no one in the Administration informed the Commander in Chief what that new information was, according to Bush.

Read Bush's exchange with NBC's White House Correspondent David Gregory here, starting on paragraph eighteen. (And be sure to read Mr. Gegory's follow-up question). You'll be depressed that you did.

So what's really going on at the White House right now? Is the US Administration really as out of touch with reality as it seems? I sure as hell hope not. Iraq is one thing. World War III is quite another.

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