US News

Book: GOP was in Palin panic

Panicked GOP operatives forced a crash course on 20th century American history on Sarah Palin because the veep candidate couldn’t grasp basic facts — such as why there’s a North and South Korea, according to a new book.

After John McCain elevated the previously obscure Alaska governor to the No. 2 spot on the 2008 Republican ticket, senior staffers were stunned by her lack of knowledge of historical and diplomatic events, said the authors of “Game Change,” about the campaign. “Her . . . tutors are literally taking her through ‘This is World War I, this is World War II, this is the Korean War,’ ” co-author John Heilemann told “60 Minutes.”