Palin a ‘fast study’, aides say

Liberal pundit E.J. Dionne recoils in horror at the following two paragraphs in this New York Times article:

Aides traveling with [Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah] Palin have reported back to associates that she is a fast study — asking few questions of her policy briefers but quickly repeating back their main points — who already has considerable ease and experience before cameras.

A former aide in Alaska who had helped prepare Ms. Palin for her campaign debates there said she had a talent for distilling information into digestible sound bites. The aide said she generally prefers light preparatory materials to heavy briefing books, and prefers walking through potential questions and answers with aides to holding mock sessions.

This is to be expected. She is, after all, a successful politician, and she’s had about two weeks to prepare for this interview. She has to use her time effectively.

But still, it’s not an encouraging description of someone who could very well become the president of the United States someday, is it? Here’s hoping she’s only tailoring her briefing approach to the situation at hand.