Maybe Sarah Palin should have attended Harry Mitchell's Government class

She certainly is talking as if some rather significant part (especially significant for an elected official) of her education is lacking...

Yesterday, Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin once again told a questioner (this time a third-grader) that the job of the Vice-President of the United States is to "run the Senate."

For the edification of Governor Palin (and her handlers, who obviously don't know enough about the Constitution to correct her past misstatements on the topic), the germane sections of the Constitution -

Article 1, Section 3 - "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."

The 25th Amendment -

"Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President. "

"Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President. "

"Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. "

Even the U.S. Senate, the organization that Governor Palin firmly believes she would run if she is elected as VP, refers to the office of the Vice President as the "least understood, most ridiculed, and most often ignored constitutional office in the federal government."

The Senate's summary of the position - "Now, the vice president is usually seen as an integral part of a president's administration and presides over the Senate only on ceremonial occasions or when a tie-breaking vote may be needed."

If somebody was enough of a wiseass, they'd mail a copy of the Constitution to the McCain campaign with the relevant sections highlighted for Governor McCain to study.

John McCain 2008, P.O. Box 16118, Arlington, VA 22215

Of course, in a show of bipartisanship, Congressman Mitchell could draw upon his teaching experience and put together a lesson plan for Governor Palin.

I'm sure she'll have plenty of time to study it during the long Alaskan winter after the election. :)

Later!