Palin interview excerpts

[agricola]

Seemed good, but would have been perfect if she had just mentioned that the decision over whether Georgia and the Ukraine should get into Nato was down to those countries and NATO, and not Putin:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=5782924&page=1

[AZRedhawk44]

This felt like equivocation:

Sarah Palin on God:

GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?

PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.

GIBSON: Exact words.

PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.

But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side.

That's what that comment was all about, Charlie.

GIBSON: I take your point about Lincoln's words, but you went on and said, "There is a plan and it is God's plan."

PALIN: I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That, in my world view, is a grand -- the grand plan.

GIBSON: But then are you sending your son on a task that is from God?

PALIN: I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie. What I know is that my son has made a decision. I am so proud of his independent and strong decision he has made, what he decided to do and serving for the right reasons and serving something greater than himself and not choosing a real easy path where he could be more comfortable and certainly safer.

I can accept that the lady has her religious leanings, and they were popular with her Alaskan constituency with regard to the war in Iraq.  I'm not nit-picking on war policy here.

I just don't like backpedaling, and this feels like backpedaling for political convenience.  I like Palin because she says what she believes and can be depended upon to stand for her word.  This feels like her word being called into question.

Just my opinion, but it's what jumped out at me.  I also acknowledge the old Charlie Gibson isn't the most sympathetic interviewer for Mrs. Palin and I'm sure deliberately led the conversation in a way that would result in word-slicing.

[Marvin Dao]

Pray for our military. He's [Palin's son Trask] going to be deployed in September to Iraq. Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do also what is right for this country  that our leaders, our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. Thats what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is Gods plan.

Palin's full quote is above. Gibson either deliberately sliced out the beginning of her lines or is just parroting the liberal talking points that came out when the video did. Praying for something to be true ain't exactly the same as knowing it is true.

She wasn't backstepping, she was referencing her original words on the matter.

[Physics]

I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't even think the United States has the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".  Certainly not the pursuit of happiness part.  Wasn't that a part of the Declaration of Independence, rather than the constitution, making it legally non-binding? 

/hijack (sorry)

[agricola]

On the ABC site she is apparently being described as a warmonger.  For those who have similar thoughts (if there are any of you here), you may like to read this handy account of a press conference that took place yesterday:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/12/putin.georgia

[MicroBalrog]

I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't even think the United States has the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".  Certainly not the pursuit of happiness part.  Wasn't that a part of the Declaration of Independence, rather than the constitution, making it legally non-binding? 

/hijack (sorry)

The DoI is not supposed to be binding on anything, but the Founders did believe that the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (and other rights, too) were granted by the Creator to all people by virtue of their humanity. They didn't have to have their rights given to them by a piece of paper, because they believed (whether you agree with them or not, it's a fact THEY did believe that) that the rights of man are already given to him by a far greater authority than any government.

[Wildalaska]

On the ABC site she is apparently being described as a warmonger. 

Of course she is, would you expect anything less?

Sarah is one of the freiendliest, most decent politicos I have ever had the chance to chat with

[grampster]

I think if one asks a question about a subject which has been parsed to provoke an answer that might be out of context, one should expect an answer that is as nebulous as the question.

One needs to consider the source of the questions before worrying about how the one who answers them conducted themselves.

[Perd Hapley]

I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't even think the United States has the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".  Certainly not the pursuit of happiness part.  Wasn't that a part of the Declaration of Independence, rather than the constitution, making it legally non-binding? 

/hijack (sorry)

The Declaration is considered to be the founding charter of our nation.  So while it's not law, the preamble to the Dec. is very important as a description of our nation's founding principles, which the Constitution should express. 

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is a way of summing up the specific rights in which the Patriots believed, and which they tried to guarantee by the Constitution.  "Happiness" meant a pleasant condition of life.  These days, we would call it The American Dream.  The Declaration says you have a right to be free to pursue that.  It is far too general and broad to be described in a legal document. 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Well, I think we've found their latest attempt to vilify her.  She answered the question about as well as it can be, given the out of context quote and the loaded nature of the question.

I guess now we'll see if they can make their latest attack stick.

[AZRedhawk44]

On the ABC site she is apparently being described as a warmonger. 

Of course she is, would you expect anything less?

Sarah is one of the freiendliest, most decent politicos I have ever had the chance to chat with

You've met her?  In what context?

AZRedhawkandwhendidWildAlaskajointhisforum?44

[HankB]

Isn't Charlie Gibson one of Barack Hussein Obama's media acolytes who accompanied him on his tour of the middle east earlier this year?

[longeyes]

Sarah Palin is Osama Bin Ladin with lipstick.

She's the Mahdi Mommy.   She shouts "Deus vult!" when she shoots a moose.

Isn't that the pitch here?  What else can the Left say about her?

The real warmongers are the appeasers.  I'm more worried about the warmockers.

Palin was frank, something you're not supposed to be in a time of dissemblers.  She gave a straight answer which made liberals spit up their Haagan Dazs.  Obama would still be answering that question now, or rather not answering it...

[Wildalaska]

You've met her?  In what context?

AZRedhawkandwhendidWildAlaskajointhisforum?44 grin

Met her 4 or 5 times at various political thingies and at hockey games (and at a Gun Show once)...shes cool.

WildivebeenheresincethebeginningAlaska "

[roo_ster]

A policritter at a gun show.

She wasn't outside trying to close loopholes, was she?  'Cause most wouldn't be seen near a gun show.

[Perd Hapley]

Met her 4 or 5 times at various political thingies and at hockey games (and at a Gun Show once)...shes cool.

I know she's hot and everything, but stalking her is not very nice.   

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Met her 4 or 5 times at various political thingies and at hockey games (and at a Gun Show once)...shes cool.

I know she's hot and everything, but stalking her is not very nice.   

Try to stalk her now.  I'd like to see what the Secret Service does to peeping Toms.

 

[Perd Hapley]

I shudder to think what she would do to peeping Toms.   

[Racehorse]

I watched a chunk of the interview, and I have to say Palin didn't come off looking too good. The questions were definitely loaded and geared toward making her look bad. It wasn't a total disaster, but to me at least, she came off looking like she didn't really understand the issues.

From everything I know of her, I like her a lot, but I don't think this interview was her best moment.

[Perd Hapley]

Palin is the red herring meant to take the focus off McCain.  It's working perfectly so far.  "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain".

Almost, but I'll disagree on two points.  After making those two points, I realized you're not that close at all.

1.  Red herrings are distractions.  She's not distracting us from McCain, so much as making McCain more palatable. 

2.  McCain is getting much more attention now than ever before.  While he's not the most interesting half of the ticket, he's been getting a lot more accolades from the conservative base than previously.  Plus, most of us are voting for him now.   

[Kaylee]

I'll agree it wasn't her best moment, although couple of the questions - particularly the "hubris" one were really of the "so when did you stop beating your wife?" character. It makes me think less of Gibson, not Palin.

I'd not worry over the "God's Plan" questions at all Redhawk - her answer not only rings genuine, it meshes perfectly with more than a few sermons given up here. I'd stake anything that the sentiment she expressed in her clarification - "pray we're on God's side" rather than "God is on our side" essentially - is precisely what her original statement expressed and her original audience heard.

[Dntsycnt]

As much as I despise her, she has definitely been a boon to the republican party.  She's the Tabasco sauce to McCain's turd sandwich.

On a side note, why would you pray that what you're doing is in God's plan?  I wouldn't think a mere human could foil God's plan, especially unintentionally.  But she does seem to have been misquoted.

If she'd only clarify her creationism statements, I might be able to turn down my hate valve a little.

[roo_ster]

If she'd only clarify her creationism statements, I might be able to turn down my hate valve a little.

WHy the hate/hangup on creationism?  It is hardly the issue that, say, abortion is.

[Intune]

...I might be able to turn down my hate valve a little.

D', none of them are worth an ulcer or bad karma.  Water on a duck's back, bro!

She doesn't appear to be an extremist in her religious views and that's despite the lib's campaign to paint her as such .  An example would be found in her responses to the "gay" questions which seemed natural, heartfelt and nonjudgmental.

I'd be a bit more wary of someone who associated with anyone who called upon God to damn an entire country.  That's gettin' right on up that "extreme" ladder in a hurry!

[Alaskanativeson]

A policritter at a gun show.

She wasn't outside trying to close loopholes, was she?  'Cause most wouldn't be seen near a gun show.

This is Alaska.  We're politically about as weird as it can get.  We generally vote in Republicans but the overall feel in the state to me is that we're much closer to Libertarian.  Palin was a huge breath of fresh air to us up here.  I see this as a no-lose situation.  If she (and the guy with her) wins in November we have a real person sitting in the VP office waiting in the wings to take over if needed.  If she loses, we get to keep a wonderful governor at the helm of our state. 

I've heard a lot of talk about her inexperience.  Yes, she does lack experience.  As far as I know she has almost no experience at underhanded back-room deals, schmoozing with lobbyists, or covering up wrongdoings from within her own party.  What she does have is the nerve and will to do the right thing because it's right, not the expedient thing because it will get her re-elected.