In Monday’s morning press gaggle, one of the geese asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino a question that you might imagine she might have anticipated being asked at some point. But, clearly, this lady — who serves at the President’s pleasure, and has never displayed (in public, at least) any evident skill at performing the job that she performs (in public, at least) — had never anticipated this question. Either that, or her mind was on something else.

The question: “Is the country better off now than seven years ago?”

The response: “No sir, no sir, three bags full.”

She may not have said it in so many words, but I challenge anyone to explain how her answer can be spun as anything other than “Of course it isn’t!”

Certainly seven years ago — well, seven years ago, right before September 11th, I think that people would say that the country certainly felt better off. There’s been — once we were confronted with terrorists who would fly jumbo jets into buildings and kill thousands of our citizens in an instant, it created a sense of fear and nervousness about our security. And that’s why the President decided to take on the terrorists head on and go on the offense.

And we have done that around the world. We have been successful so far in preventing another attack on our country. But it’s not for their lack of trying. And that’s another reason why the President — tonight you’ll hear him call on Congress to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization. They have until Friday to do that, and the President sees no reason why they shouldn’t be able to get that done.

Let’s be charitable. Maybe she just didn’t hear the question? Maybe she was responding to her best guess about what she had been asked?

After all, she’s admitted before — from the White House podium, no less — to making up answers (when “I was asked based on something that I didn’t know”). So why be surprised if she has now diversified into making up questions?

So let’s play a Jeopardy-like parlor game. What question do you think that would have been a reasonable answer to?

(Based on the sad disappointments of the past, I put that out without any real expectation that anyone will play. Surprise me, and make my day? Please?)