Perino: I Didn't Know What The Cuban Missile Crisis Was

Still looking for that last-minute Christmas gift for White House press secretary Dana Perino? May we recommend a gift certificate for the forthcoming book on the Cuban Missile Crisis by our colleague Michael Dobbs, "One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War," due out next summer?

Appearing on National Public Radio's light-hearted quiz show "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me," which aired over the weekend, Perino got into the spirit of things and told a story about herself that she had previously shared only in private: During a White House briefing, a reporter referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis -- and she didn't know what it was.

Read entire story here.

Read more about Dana Perino from HuffPolitics reporter Jason Linkins.

Comments

[Bobby]

All I can say is that you now have the leads in Dumb and Dumber III. Dumbya will play dumb (like he always does) and Dana will play Dumber. Now why would a White House press secretary have to know something about the time the world almost had nuclear war? Not important I guess to the Bu$h White House, because there was a PEACEFUL resolution.

[Donns]

I find it amazing that this comes as a surprise to anyone. Bush does not hire anyone smarter than himself so that leaves a pretty small group to draw from. Obviously he found a real winner here.

[TLV]

As most of the programming on NPR, "Wait, wait..." is quite liberal meaning it is truthful and both sides of every issue are revealed. They are often staunchly anti-Bush/Cheney because most of this country and the greater world, for the most part, is too. That is precisely why my radio is set on WCPN out of Cleveland each and every day.

If Perino thinks by being herself - and I truly believe she is "being herself" on this show - then her act as a spokesperson for Bush/Cheney is fakery. Therefore, she should not be paid to work for them.

As for her retelling of her ignorance on the Cuban missile crisis...it only makes her appear stupid, not cute.

[Imzadi]

Gives "dumb blondes" a bad name...

[EliPariser08]

Dana Perino = MILF

[whizkid]

Harry? Pelosi? Hello?
This along with the poor girl from Texas being raped in the Green Zone by Halliburton thugs is why you hold your office as the majority party.
Get off your asses and do your job!
Jesus Christ.
This Bush bitch has no clue which ends up.

[whizkid]

So somebody as dumb as the average Drudge reader is allowed to vote?
Obviously we know that.
But should they be allowed to be White House press secretary?
Should they be allowed to be President?

[partyofone]

How could anyone move into the Press Secretary position and not know about the huge crises in recent American history, when the White House press office was the frontline for public communication. In addition to the major Cuba Missile Crisis, when nuclear war was threatend and avoided, I would hope and expect that the White House Press Office would have briefs or case studies examining the highs and lows of press relations on the Vietnam War, Watergate, Iranian Hostage Crisis,Iran Contra, the Lewinsky Affair and Clinton Impeachment, among others.

[Kalima]

Well you think that you have problems?
We have a few 20 somethings working for us in
Tokyo,who think that London is the capital city
of France.
Look at most beauty products and they list as,
London,Paris,New York
American children polled a few years ago;
Q: What language is spoken in Japan?
A: Chinese.
Same thing all over I think.
Ignorance is a shared problem the world over I
think and should not be thought of as a problem
to explain your poor voting record.
Even if a person can't read or write,they still have
a right to vote,don't they?
Do they still have the right to vote?

[whizkid]

A decent, a competent administration would fire her.
A competent administration would have someone new in there tomorrow.
What a buffoon.

[kuvasz]

Heavyweights, the White House is staffed with heavyweights.

Makes one feel real comfortable, doesn't it?

[whizkid]

I had to laugh like Hell.

It was a time when our nation was at the brink of total war. Unlike the phoney baloney you put out.

What a complete idiot.

[ROBOT8]

SEX IS THE LAST RESORT OF CORRUPTION! SHE LOOKS A LITTLE LIKE JENNA JAMISON, THE PORN STAR, FOX AND THE WHITEHOUSE REALLY APPEAL TO THE MORE IGNORANT BASER ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY

[watchingthings]

Dana, you should take history as a night course. This time, please do try learn something. School is a place people go to learn. That's it!

[factanonverba]

"I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about . . . the Cuban Missile Crisis...It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure."

Gee, you think? And was it perhaps a crisis?
She must not get the History Channel. But what really galls me is her utter lack of curiosity to have perhaps googled it.