Palintology

Beauty Queen Defends Palin

Ridicule of governor's pageant past "unfair."

During the Q&A portion of last night's Miss America pageant, Miss New York fielded a strangely relevant question: Was media coverage of Governor Sarah Palin's own pageant past unfair? A cut-away shot during the question's formulation revealed contestant Leigh Taylor Smith mouthing silently: "It's true." Her answer: "I don't think it's fair because I don't think people understand what the Miss America organization is all about, and that is why we're all here. We're here to prove that it is about scholarship, it is about intelligent women, it is about caring for others." Originally from Hampton, Va., Smith lost out to Miss Indiana Katie Stam for the Miss America title.