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Charlie Gibson interviewing a highly unqualified Sarah Palin

Charlie Gibson interviewing a highly unqualified Sarah Palin published on 1 Comment on Charlie Gibson interviewing a highly unqualified Sarah Palin

As far as I can tell, the entire interview went something like this:

Gibson: [Incisive question seeking specifics about Palin’s policies and qualifications.]

Palin: [Irrelevant canned blather full of generalities and evasion.]

Here’s the part that really highlighted her evasion:

GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?

PALIN: In what respect, Charlie?

GIBSON: The Bush — well, what do you — what do you interpret it to be?

PALIN: His world view.

GIBSON: No, the Bush doctrine, enunciated September 2002, before the Iraq war.

PALIN: I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell bent on destroying our nation. There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made. And with new leadership, and that’s the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership comes opportunity to do things better.

GIBSON: The Bush doctrine, as I understand it, is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense, that we have the right to a preemptive strike against any other country that we think is going to attack us. Do you agree with that?

PALIN: I agree that a president’s job, when they swear in their oath to uphold our Constitution, their top priority is to defend the United States of America.

I know that John McCain will do that and I, as his vice president, families we are blessed with that vote of the American people and are elected to serve and are sworn in on January 20, that will be our top priority is to defend the American people.

GIBSON: Do we have a right to anticipatory self-defense? Do we have a right to make a preemptive strike again another country if we feel that country might strike us?

PALIN: Charlie, if there is legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country. In fact, the president has the obligation, the duty to defend.

GIBSON: Do we have the right to be making cross-border attacks into Pakistan from Afghanistan, with or without the approval of the Pakistani government?

PALIN: Now, as for our right to invade, we’re going to work with these countries, building new relationships, working with existing allies, but forging new, also, in order to, Charlie, get to a point in this world where war is not going to be a first option. In fact, war has got to be, a military strike, a last option.

GIBSON: But, Governor, I’m asking you: We have the right, in your mind, to go across the border with or without the approval of the Pakistani government.

PALIN: In order to stop Islamic extremists, those terrorists who would seek to destroy America and our allies, we must do whatever it takes and we must not blink, Charlie, in making those tough decisions of where we go and even who we target.

GIBSON: And let me finish with this. I got lost in a blizzard of words there. Is that a yes? That you think we have the right to go across the border with or without the approval of the Pakistani government, to go after terrorists who are in the Waziristan area?

PALIN: I believe that America has to exercise all options in order to stop the terrorists who are hell bent on destroying America and our allies. We have got to have all options out there on the table.
 
To summarize, this section of the interview goes like this:

Gibson: How about that Bush Doctrine?

Palin: What?

Gibson: THE BUSH DOCTRINE.

Palin: Uh…

Gibson: THE BUSH DOCTRINE CODIFIED IN 2002, BEFORE GULF WAR 2.

Palin: 9/11. "Islamofascism." Elections, Charlie, and change!

Gibson: You know, the "right to anticipatory self-defense."

Palin: Charlie, I swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Oh wait…I’m not elected yet.

Gibson: Do you believe in the Bush doctrine?

Palin: WMDs. Bombing Iraq. Commander in chief.

Gibson: So do you think the U.S. has the right to invade Pakistan?

Palin: I’m actually a pacifist, Charlie. For real.

Gibson: So do we have the right or not?

Palin: "Islamofascism." Baseball and apple pie. Blinking contest.

Gibson: Is that a yes?

Palin: "ISLAMOFASCISM!" BASEBALL! BLINKING!! Are you listening to me at all, Charlie?

Gibson: Yes, and that’s why I keep asking the same question 40 times… Oh, never mind.
 
This reminds me of George W. Bush right after September 11, 2001: jingoistic, repetitive and absolutist.

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