Politics | Sarah Palin John Mellencamp: Sarah Palin Is Smart So what if she winks? She's 'pushing the right buttons' By Kate Seamons Posted Oct 23, 2010 8:33 AM CDT Copied In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 file photo, musician John Mellencamp plays during a tribute to former NCAA president Myles Brand in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) John Mellencamp: hater of the Internet, lover of Sarah Palin? The rocker made the unlikely move of speaking out on her behalf yesterday, telling the AP that while he doesn't support her positions, he's impressed by the mark she's made since the 2008 election (in which he asked running mate John McCain to stop playing his songs at rallies). "Just because she says things and winks" doesn't mean she's dumb, he says. Palin "knows exactly what's she doing," he says. "She wouldn't be where she is today if she didn't. She's pushing the right buttons. You can't be stupid and do that." Read These Next New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. Supreme Court gives Trump big win on national injunctions. Actor Sam Rockwell gets residuals from movie he wasn't in. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. Report an error