Palin hits back at critics, calls them cowards

Sarah Palin called her critics "cowardly" today for anonymously ridiculing her and denied that she did not know Africa was a continent, not a country.

That assertion has been all over cable TV and the Internet in recent days after anonymous Republican campaign sources cited in a Fox News report also said Palin could not name the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement -- Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

But the Associated Press reports that Palin said that allegation isn't true, either. She recalled discussing Africa and NAFTA with aides who prepared her for the vice presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

"If there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent vs. the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context," Palin said. "That's cruel, It's mean-spirited. It's immature. It's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It's not fair, and it's not right."

The AP also reports that she insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the campaign. She said the Republican National Committee paid for the tens of thousands of dollars in designer clothes and accessories.

"I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while," Palin said. "Those are the RNC's clothes. They're not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything."

Republican Party lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was purchased for Palin at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, what was returned and what has become of the rest.