Say what you will about Cheney, but the man is not a moron.
Anyways, I am not surprised at Palin's geographical ignorance. Many Americans have a general lack of knowledge regarding geography. I remember a few years ago discussing at a benefit dinner which nations were the happiest. When I said Bhutan was one of the happiest nations in the world, the people I was conversing with had no idea where Bhutan was located. Of course, the location of Bhutan is more obscure than the knowledge that Africa is a continent.