The vast majority of recorded Sarah Palin gaffes took place during the 2008 presidential election, after Palin was announced to be Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s running mate. Having little experience in conversing with the news media or in answering intelligent questions regarding any political topic whatsoever, Palin’s lack of knowledge on national and global affairs, as well as her inability to form complete sentences, quickly became apparent.

On one such occasion, Palin, upon being asked about her foreign policy experience, stated that Alaska’s physical proximity to Russia as an example of how she had been politically involved with foreign nations in the past. Perhaps the most notable example of Palin’s gaffe-prone nature came during two now-famous interviews with reporter Katie Couric, in which Palin demonstrated her complete lack of knowledge on Supreme Court decisions and her aversion to reading newspapers, among other things. Additionally, Palin has been caught on a number of occasions referring to notes written on her hand during interviews and speeches.