NEW YORK - Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin debuted on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" on Tuesday.

Appearing relaxed and confident throughout the lengthy interview with Bill O'Reilly, Palin smiled when her host said "the perception of you is that you're not smart," citing the new book, "Game Change," about the 2008 campaign, which for all intents and purposes labels her an ignoramus.

The book's co-authors, John Heilemann and Mark Haperin, along with Steve Schmidt, former adviser to Senator John McCain, were interviewed on CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

Among other things, the authors allege that Palin wasn't prepared for her interview with Joe Biden, that she didn't know why there was a North and South Korea, and that she thought Saddam Hussein was behind the 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Center.

"I don't think the American people care about this," Palin said. "It's a bunch of B.S. from Schmidt and some of those."

O'Reilly said her new position with Fox News would provide a platform to clarify those kinds of accusations.

Asked about President Barack Obama's sinking approval ratings, Palin said "it was just a matter of time."

"There is an obvious disconnect between President Obama and the White House, what they are doing to our economy and what they are doing in terms of not allowing Americans to feel as safe as we had felt," she said.

At no point during the interview did the former vice presidential candidate give the impression that her new job with Fox News meant she was shelving her political career.

O'Reilly wrapped up the interview by inviting to be on his show anytime she wants to set the record straight.