Gingrich and Perry

Fox News reports that Newt Gingrich is considering a remarkable strategy: Going into the Republican convention with his vice-president already selected.

Sources close to the Gingrich campaign say preliminary "what-if" conversations are underway that could lead to a Gingrich-Perry ticket being announced prior to the Republican National Convention at the end of August.

When reached for comment, Perry told reporters "Nkhrnkhrnnkhrrrrrrrrrr." Everyone agreed that this was the most intelligent thing he had said in years.

On a related note: A friend to this blog directs our attention to this interview with author Morris Berman.

A Marist poll released on July 4, 2011 showed that 42 percent of American adults are unaware that the U.S. declared its independence in 1776, and this figure increases to 69 percent for the under-30 age group. Twenty-five percent of Americans don’t know from which country the United States seceded. A poll taken in the Oklahoma public school system turned up the fact that 77 percent of the students didn’t know who George Washington was, and the Texas Board of Education recently voted to include a unit on Estee Lauder in the history curriculum, when they don’t have one on the first president. Nearly 30 percent of the American population thinks the sun revolves around the earth or is unsure of which revolves around which. Etc. etc. How can such a population grasp a structural analysis of American history or politics? They simply aren’t capable of it.

The post directly below provides additional discussion along these lines.