Governor Palin is out of the loop on the strategic decisions — like not campaigning any more in Michigan. She’s also not paying attention to what Steve Schmidt tells her about The New York Times. Unveiling McCain-Palin2.0, the Character Assassination Edition, Caribou Barbie had this to say:

“Well, I was reading my copy of today’s New York Times and I was interested to read about Barack’s friends from Chicago,” she said. “Turns out one of Barack’s earliest supporters is a man who, according to The New York Times, and they are hardly ever wrong, was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. Wow. These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes.”

Of course, Steve Schmidt, McCain’s campaign manager who used to work for Dick Cheney, has already called into question the journalistic integrity of The New York TImes:

“Whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization,” Mr. Schmidt said. He added, “This is an organization that is completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate, which is their prerogative to be.”

He added, “Everything that is read in The New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated by the American people from that perspective.”

I wonder if Sarah’s ringing endorsement — "they are hardly ever wrong" — applies to the February 21st New York Times?