Poor Sarah Palin

So the claims from anonymous McCain aides that Sarah Palin thought Africa was a continent and couldn't name the members of NAFTA were a hoax, part of an elaborate spoof on media gullibility.

The New York Times has the fullest account.

It didn't help that Palin's denial was not exactly convincing, seeming rather to confirm but downplay the rumours.

“I remember having a discussion with a couple of debate preppers,” she said. “So if it came from one of those debate preppers, you know, that’s curious. But having a discussion about Nafta — not, ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t know who is a part of Nafta.’ ”

“So, no, I think that if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about Nafta, and about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context,”

Rumours that the Palin vice-presidential nomination was itself part of an elaborate hoax by John McCain, after a bet with Joe Lieberman, and that Katie Couric actually interviewed Tina Fey by mistake instead of Palin have not been confirmed.

But perhaps its a case of a hoaxer hoaxed - or maybe Sarah Palin was qualified for the Presidency after all.

Roll on 2012!