The Screwups of Campaign '08

Presidential campaigns are so carefully stage-managed that few things are as entertaining as the mistakes politicians make on the trail. Throughout the 2008 race, check out TIME.com's ongoing chronicle of each candidate's gaffes, and then vote on just how big a screwup each one is

Palin's Pledge of Allegiance

sarah palin pledge of allegiance

Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME

Sarah Palin
Aug. 31, 2008


"If it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me."

Palin, as quoted in a 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race questionnaire after being asked whether the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance is offensive. Just days after she was selected as John McCain's running mate, the old questionnaire surfaced on political blogs across the U.S., with pundits pointing out that the Alaska Governor doesn't seem to know her American history. The pledge of allegiance wasn't written until 1892, and the phrase "under God" wasn't added until the 1950s.


— M.J. Stephey


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