Gibson, who is scheduled to interview Palin, let several McCain falsehoods go unchallenged
SUMMARY: ABC's Charlie Gibson posed no challenge to several false, contradictory, or dubious assertions made by Sen. John McCain during a September 3 interview. Gibson is scheduled to interview McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, later this week.
On the September 7 edition of Fox News Sunday, Rick Davis, campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, asserted that Gov. Sarah Palin would not be interviewed until "at which point in time we feel like the news media is going to treat her with some level of respect and deference." ABC News subsequently announced that World News anchor Charlie Gibson had secured the first television interview with Palin following her vice-presidential nomination, which is scheduled to air on September 11 and 12. Indeed, during a September 3 interview with McCain, Gibson posed no challenge to several of his false, contradictory, or dubious assertions. For example, Gibson did not challenge McCain on his false claim that when Palin became governor of Alaska, she said, "No more [earmarks] for my state"; Gibson offered no rebuttal to McCain's claim that Sen. Barack Obama has never "taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue"; and did not note that McCain previously reportedly had a different view from his current one of the relevance of a governor's experience presiding over his or her state's National Guard.
Earmarks and the "bridge to nowhere"
As Media Matters for America documented, Gibson did not challenge the claim by McCain that after Palin obtained millions of dollars in earmarks as mayor of her Alaskan hometown, Wasilla, she "learned that earmarks are bad" when she became governor and said, "No more for my state." At no point did Gibson point out that as governor, Palin, by her own account, requested nearly $200 million in earmarks for Alaska just this year. Other media outlets have noted Palin's earmark requests as governor; The Seattle Times reported on September 2 that her earmark requests for 2008 amounted to "more, per person, than any other state."
Gibson also left unchallenged McCain's claim that Palin said, "We don't want the 'bridge to nowhere.' " In fact, as The Seattle Times article reported, after "appear[ing] to embrace" the "so-called 'Bridge to Nowhere' " during her run for governor, "A year later, as criticism of earmarks mounted, Palin began to speak out against earmarks" but nonetheless kept the federal money for Alaska and used the funds for other projects.
Obama "has never taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue ever"
Gibson allowed McCain to claim without challenge that Obama "has never taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue ever." Gibson did not note that Obama has refuted that claim by pointing to his work dealing with ethics reform and education, and that media, including ABC News, have reported that Obama has taken positions that were not popular with interests or politicians within his party.
ABCNews.com reported on Obama's proposal for merit pay for teachers in a November 20, 2007, analysis by Teddy Davis and Sunlen Miller headlined "Obama Bucks Party Line on Education":
Obama's willingness to boost teacher pay based on performance separates him from his Democratic rivals, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who supports school-based, rather than individual teacher-based, merit pay. The broader political significance of his unorthodox proposal is that it gives him an opportunity to buttress his argument that he is the Democrat best positioned to bring people together for purposes of challenging the status quo.
Even author David Freddoso wrote in his book, The Case Against Barack Obama, that an ethics reform bill co-sponsored by Obama, The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, was "a real accomplishment for Obama in the name of reform" and "a small victory for open government and bipartisanship" that was "approved over the objection of some of Capitol Hill's worst porkers." From Pages 93-94 of Freddoso's book:
Obama's reform record is not a complete wash. His most notable accomplishment in Washington was the bill he co-sponsored with Republican senator Tom Coburn, the conservative junior senator from Oklahoma. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 -- also known as "Google for Government" -- helped expose to the sunlight the congressional practice of "earmarking," in which members of Congress direct federal spending to parochial projects -- swimming pools, bridges to nowhere -- that often have no national importance or congressional authorization.63 Coburn and Obama's bill, approved over the objection of some of Capitol Hill's worst porkers, really was a small victory for open government and bipartisanship.
This was a real accomplishment for Obama in the name of reform -- the second such accomplishment of his career after the Illinois ethics law.
In a June 16 interview with ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper, Obama cited "ethics reform legislation" as an example of a time he "worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk." According to the Nexis database, the exchange was aired on the August 12 edition of World News, in a segment introduced and concluded by Gibson. From the interview transcript:
TAPPER: But have you ever worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk for yourself?
OBAMA: Well, look, when I was doing ethics reform legislation, for example, that wasn't popular with Democrats or Republicans. So any time that you actually try to get something done in Washington, it entails some political risks.
Obama also cited ethics reform as an example of when he "went against party loyalty, and maybe even went against your own best interest, for the good of America" during the August 16 Saddleback Presidential Forum, moderated by pastor Rick Warren:
WARREN: We've talked about this before, about the common good, and the common ground and common good. Can you give me an example of a time -- you know, I've seen that a lot of good legislation gets killed because of party loyalty. Can you give me a good example where you went against party loyalty, and maybe even went against your own best interest, for the good of America?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I'll give you an example that, in fact, I worked with John McCain on, and that was the issue of campaign ethics reform and finance reform. That wasn't probably in my interest or his, for that matter, because the truth was that both Democrats and Republicans sort of like the status quo. And I was new to the Senate and didn't necessarily engender a lot of popularity when I started saying, you know, we're going to eliminate meals and gifts from corporate lobbyists. I remember one of my colleagues, whose name will be unmentioned, who said, where do you expect us to eat, McDonald's? I thought, well, actually, a lot of your constituents probably do eat at McDonald's, so that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
But I think that we were able to get a bill passed that hasn't made Washington perfect, but at least has started moving things forward. I guess the other example where I'm not sure that this was a -- more of a partisan issue, but it was something I felt very deeply, was when I opposed the initial decision to go into war in Iraq. That was not a popular view at the time. And I was just starting my campaign for the United States Senate. And I think there were a lot of people who advised me, you should be cautious. This is going to be successful. The president has a very high approval rating and you could end up losing the election as a consequence of this.
Further, during a February 11 Politico/WJLA-TV interview, when Politico editor-in-chief John Harris asked Obama to "[n]ame some issues where you've been willing to stand up against your party," Obama responded, "education":
HARRIS: Senator, we've got a question that goes right to that. The likely Republican nominee, Sen. McCain, has regularly stood up against his own party and has some real scars that he's wearing because of it, when he thought it was in the national interest to do so. Name some issues where you've been willing to stand up against your party, and also take those scars?
OBAMA: Well, look, we've talked about education. We actually had a roundtable here about what we need to do with the schools. I've consistently said, we need to support charter schools. I think it is important to experiment, by looking at how we can reward excellence in the classroom.
Similarly, on the April 27 edition of Fox News Sunday, when host Chris Wallace asked Obama to "name a hot-button issue where you would be willing to buck the Democratic Party line," Obama cited "issues of education" [transcript from the Nexis database]:
WALLACE: As a president, can you name a hot-button issue where you would be willing to buck the Democratic Party line and say, "You know what? Republicans have a better idea here?"
OBAMA: Well, I think there are a whole host of areas where Republicans in some cases may have a better idea.
OBAMA: Well, on issues of regulation. I think that back in the '60s and '70s a lot of the way we regulated industry was top-down command and control, we're going to tell businesses exactly how to do things.
And you know, I think that the Republican Party and people who thought about the markets came up with the notion that, "You know what? If you simply set some guidelines, some rules and incentives, for businesses -- let them figure out how they're going to, for example, reduce pollution," and a cap and trade system, for example is a smarter way of doing it, controlling pollution, than dictating every single rule that a company has to abide by, which creates a lot of bureaucracy and red tape and oftentimes is less efficient.
I think that on issues of education, I've been very clear about the fact -- and sometimes I've gotten in trouble with the teachers' union on this -- that we should be experimenting with charter schools. We should be experimenting with different ways of compensating teachers that --
OBAMA: Well, merit pay, the way it's been designed, I think, is based on just a single standardized test -- I think is a big mistake, because the way we measure performance may be skewed by whether or not the kids are coming into school already three years or four years behind.
But I think that having assessment tools and then saying, "You know what? Teachers who are on career paths to become better teachers, developing themselves professionally -- that we should pay excellence more." I think that's a good idea, so --
Alaska National Guard
Gibson did not challenge McCain's repeated citation of Palin's tenure as "commander of the [Alaska] National Guard" as evidence that she has "the qualities and has enough experience to be commander in chief" and "the national security experience and background to be president," or McCain's claim that Palin "has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities." Gibson did not ask McCain to cite any actions Palin took as commander of the Alaska national guard that suggest the "qualities" and "experience" necessary to be commander in chief. Nor did Gibson point out that McCain has previously dismissed a governor's role as commander of his state's National Guard in assessing that person's national security experience.
During a January 30 Republican presidential primary debate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stated that "as a governor, you're also a leader. You're the commander-in-chief of your National Guard." Moments later, when asked, "What makes you more qualified than John McCain to run the military as commander-in-chief," Romney replied, in part: "You see, my objective is to keep America the strongest nation on Earth, economically, militarily, and, if you will, from the spirit of our people. I believe I can do that by virtue of a lifetime of experience leading, making decisions." Following Romney's remarks, McCain was asked, "Is Governor Romney ready to be a military commander?" McCain replied: "Oh, I'm sure that, as I say, he's a fine man. And I think he managed companies, and he bought, and he sold, and sometimes people lost their jobs. That's the nature of that business. But the fact is -- but the fact is we're at a time in our history -- we're in a time in our history where you can't afford any on-the-job training."
Additionally, in a September 5, 2007, article, The New York Times reported that McCain "questioned the foreign policy credentials" of Romney. McCain reportedly said that Romney had "nothing in his background that indicates that he has any experience" in "foreign policy or national security," apparently ignoring or dismissing Romney's role as commander of the Massachusetts National Guard while governor:
And for the first time Mr. McCain, who has a lengthy résumé in the Navy and in Congress, questioned the foreign policy credentials of his main rivals for the Republican presidential nomination: Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and prosecutor, and Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and a businessman.
"I think the nation respects the mayor's leadership after 9/11, and I do, too, and I think he displayed leadership at a time that Americans needed some steady hand, and I think that his conduct was very laudatory following 9/11," Mr. McCain said, when asked why so many voters identify Mr. Giuliani with the issue of terrorism.
But he went on to say: "I don't think it translates, necessarily, into foreign policy or national security expertise. I know of nothing in his background that indicates that he has any experience in it, with him or Romney."
Obama has "the most liberal extreme voting record of anybody in the Senate"
Gibson failed to challenge McCain's assertion that Obama "has the most liberal extreme voting record of anybody in the Senate." McCain appeared to be referring to the National Journal's ranking of Obama as the "most liberal senator" for 2007, which many conservatives and media figures have repeated without noting the ranking's subjectivity. As Media Matters has repeatedly noted, the National Journal based its rankings not on all votes cast by senators in 2007, but on "99 key Senate votes, selected by NJ reporters and editors, to place every senator on a liberal-to-conservative scale." In contrast, a study by political science professors Keith Poole and Jeff Lewis that used every non-unanimous vote cast in the Senate in 2007 to determine relative ideology placed Obama in a tie with his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, for the ranking of 10th most liberal senator. Gibson also did not point out that that McCain himself "did not vote frequently enough" to receive a rating in 2007, according to the National Journal.
Nor did Gibson note that according to a presidential support study by the nonpartisan publication Congressional Quarterly, an earlier version of which McCain himself cited in 2003 as evidence that "the president and I agree on most issues," McCain has voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time during Bush's presidency, including 95 percent of the time in 2007. In a January 13 article (accessed via Nexis), Congressional Quarterly reported that "McCain's 95 percent support [for Bush] score for last year was the highest in the chamber."
From the ABCNews.com transcript of Gibson's September 3 interview with McCain:
GIBSON: Senator, since I've been following politics, every single presidential nominee has said that the first quality they look for in a vice presidential pick is the capability and the readiness to take over as president.
Can you look the country straight in the eye and say Sarah Palin has the qualities and has enough experience to be commander in chief?
McCAIN: Oh, absolutely. Having been the governor of our largest state, the commander of their National Guard, she was once in charge of their natural resources assets, actually, until she found out there was corruption and she quit and said it had to be fixed.
[...]
GIBSON: But you criticized, for a long time, Sen. Obama...
McCAIN: Sure.
GIBSON: ... based on his lack of experience...
McCAIN: Sure.
GIBSON: ... in your words...
McCAIN: Yes.
GIBSON: ... with the foreign policy area. Jan. 6, I'm quoting you, "Sen. Obama does not have the national security experience and background to be president."
McCAIN: I said he didn't...
GIBSON: Sarah Palin does?
McCAIN: I said that he didn't have the judgment. He doesn't have the judgment. He didn't have the judgment on Iraq. He still refuses to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded.
Gov. Palin knows the surge has succeeded. She's the commander of the Alaskan National Guard. He said that Iran was a tiny problem. He's never visited south of our border. He has no experience on these issues.
She has been in charge and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities. Sen. Obama has never had a position of responsibility to do with many of those responsibilities. I'm proud of her vision. I'm proud of her strength. And everybody knows energy is a key element in American strength and future. She knows how to address that issue.
GIBSON: You had many people to consider. Sen. Lieberman, who has spent a lifetime in government.
McCAIN: Yes.
GIBSON: Gov. Romney, who has had large executive experience. Tom Ridge, who has served in so many different capacities.
And you feel she's more qualified than any of them.
McCAIN: Of course, I think, overall, she's by far the best candidate. And, again, being governor with an 80 percent approval rating of America's largest state, I think, is a very significant plus.
And by the way, if you'd talk to the other governors who have worked with her, they're very impressed with her. They all give her very high marks, very high marks.
In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Obama has the most liberal extreme voting record of anybody in the Senate.
Gov. Palin has appointed Democrats, independents. She has reformed their government.
Sen. Obama comes from the old Chicago machine politics and has never taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue ever. She's taken them on time after time. That's what Americans want.
GIBSON: It says "Country First" all over the convention hall, as you'll see when you go in there tomorrow night, probably seen pictures of it, it says "Country First."
[...]
GIBSON: Earmarks...[Palin] got $27 million in earmarks for her small town. You have talked about them in pernicious terms that you campaign. So why are they OK for them?
McCAIN: And then she learned that earmarks are bad. I know lots of people that are converts. And then when she became governor, she said, "No more for my state." She said, "We don't want the 'Bridge to Nowhere.'"
She, of course, understood, over time, how terrible and pernicious these earmarks are and how great an evil they are, and I'm glad she took the position that she did, against the old bulls in her own party.
GIBSON: Gave a speech or spoke at a Pentecostal church not long ago, said, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers," talking about Iraq, "on a task that is from God." "From God." Do you agree?
Republicans avoid something they're not afraid of, then score huge points for finally doing a very average job at it.
Palin knows the media won't ever be able to gum out a single tough question.
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?
Gibson is either an idiot (not understanding a very simple sentence) or he had come up with the “blizzard of words” slap before the interview ever started and was just waiting for an opportunity to use it. Unfortunately for him, he chose a very clear and concise place to feign confusion about her answer.
It would be refreshing to see journalists and reporters actually challenge these politicians, on both sides, on their "facts" and rhetoric.
I really think they all start out with good intentions, prepare all their questions ahead of time with all the hot button issues and gotcha stuff, but there is where it ends. They either don't anticipate how candidates worm their way around questions, which would be amazingly naive, or they don't really listen to the answers given, or they aren't briefed enough on who or what they are really asking, or they are too lazy, or they don't care.
Either way, it's nearly futile to watch these interviews anymore.
It would be refreshing to see journalists and reporters actually challenge these politicians, on both sides, on their "facts" and rhetoric.
It seems like that type of journalism died along with David Brinkley.
Stephen Colbert would rip her to shreds like a dire wolf.
hmmmph....Steven Colbert..... good choice
or Jon Stewart or Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow ...... the last few remaining media types that might ask the tough questions!
Any chance Palin will drag her ass to any of their shows?
Better question: Any chance Palin's handlers would allow her?
"hmmmph....Steven Colbert..... good choice
...or Jon Stewart or Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow ...... the last few remaining media types that might ask the tough questions!
Any chance Palin will drag her ass to any of their shows?
Better question: Any chance Palin's handlers would allow her?"
The answer to the last 2 questions is an obvious NO.
GIBSON: ... with the foreign policy area. Jan. 6, I'm quoting you, "Sen. Obama does not have the national security experience and background to be president."
McCAIN: I said he didn't...
GIBSON: Sarah Palin does?
McCAIN: I said that he didn't have the judgment.
Nope Johnny, HE JUST READ A DIRECT QUOTE FROM YOU! McCain made a statement about experience, yet he tried to re-write a quote and Gibson let it go. He'll let Palin walk all over him too.
McCAIN: I said that he didn't have the judgment.
Being against the Iraq occupation is enough good judgement for me.
Regrettably, you're right. Republican Liar Gibson already gave Liar McCain a free pass, and gave him the liar's privilege. Liar Palin will receve that same liar's privilege.
Gibson also being a right wing Republican himself is, or should be, obvious by now.
McCAIN: She, of course, understood, over time, how terrible and pernicious these earmarks are and how great an evil they are...
It's her freakin' JOB to get as much money from Washington as she can for her state. Any governor who is against that should be impeached.
It's her freakin' JOB to get as much money from taxpayers as she can for her state. Any governor who is against that should be impeached.
Fix'd
I put on my futurama glasses and peeked at some of the questions:
Gibson: If you and Michelle Obama had a cookie bake off, just what cookies would you bake for us...by the way, I'll bet your cookies are just as sweet as your smile and personality, am I right?
And lemme guess that preceeded:
"You and Barack in a one-on-one basketball game -- Who wins?"
You missed some:
1. Are you promoting your state, Alaska, as a refuge destination in preparation for end of days?
2. How do you stay so adorable?
3. Does baby Jesus cry when people lie?
4. How do you stay so adorable?
5. When you speak in tongues do you still have the same accent?
6. How do you stay so adorable?
7. What's John McCain really like?
8. How do you stay so adorable? ;>)
DANG it Irony.....you just spoiled the end of the movie for everyone.
Seriously though, we have to be careful not to let Gibson of the campaign see any of these questions, or they might actually use them.
My prediction. Hold me to it and don't hold back if I'm wrong...
Palin's going to skate, either by way of Gibson completely softballing the entire interview out of cowardice or by corporate lackeys leaving anything the least bit embarrassing on the cutting room floor.
You're on the record, Pete!
OT, but just something I noticed today, as I had to go out to some job sites in South Orange County. I went right through the neighborhood where that Saddleback Forum was, and through the notoriously conservative area of Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel.I was on the road for a few hours, about half freeway and half surface streets.
I saw one McCain sticker in all of that time, on the bumper of a small SUV being towed behind a giant RV. The driver of the RV looked like McCain's older brother, but he looked angrier than McCain.
I saw five Obama stickers, all on normal sized cars being driven by happy looking people.
OK, I saw one Harvest Crusade sticker, so I'll count that as a Palin default sticker.
I live in a very conservative suburb of Atlanta. They usually poll about 90% Bush/Republican. Not many bumper stickers at all this time for McCain. Still a lot more Bush/Cheney bumper stickers, but no McCain/Palin.
I would say it ranks Bush/Cheney, Obama and then McCain. Of course, most people probably figure a Bush/Cheney sticker is the equivalent to a McCain sticker.
"My prediction. Hold me to it and don't hold back if I'm wrong...
Palin's going to skate, either by way of Gibson completely softballing the entire interview out of cowardice or by corporate lackeys leaving anything the least bit embarrassing on the cutting room floor."
You are right for BOTH reasons, plus I'll throw in two more. Gibson is also a right wing Republican himself, ad GOP-Disney-ABC is pro-Republican/pro-McCain themselves. GOP-Disney-ABC, like the rest of the corporatist conservative Republican Party controlled news media, wants Liar McCain-Liar Palin to get elected.
See It Reel
I wish you had been in the discussion on this thread http://mediamatters.org/items/200809100019#comments. This exact topic of Charlie Gibson came up. It is sad when our "unbiased" media interjects their own personal prejudice into the questions asked. I personally wish they would play hard ball with all of the candidates and not repeat the same information that is spread over every news station. What has happened to investigative reporting ~ it has turned into infotainement.
News persons must know the issues so that they will not unwittingly give the public false information by allowing candidates to make misleading statements or outright lies.
I hope Mr. Gibson will take this responsibility very seriously and treat Gov. Sarah Phalin the same as he would treat Senator Obama in regards to the facts.
Lee Turner
I've got a few questions for her:
Since you think that a woman should be forced to continue a pregancy as a result of rape or incest, what counselling and adoption services would you provide and how will they be funded?
Why did you cut funding in Alaska for homes for unwed mothers?
Do you think that Alaska should secede from the United States and if not, what do you and your husband think of Joe Vogler's statements and the Alaska Indepenence Party's platform? Why do you attend their conventions?
What is your strategy for Iraq and afghanistan? How many tours do you think soldiers can endure before they are permanently damaged? Will you increase veteran's benefits? Do you know how much money the U.S. taxpayer is spending each month in Iraq?
Tell us the difference between Suni and Shia Muslims and how this affects our engagement with Iran.
Explain why Georgia invaded Osetia and how you would handle the Russian reaction.
I have lots more questions but all of these need at least 3 or 4 follow up questions.
Considering McCain's answers to Gibson's questions, I think he definitely belongs in a retirement village.
Which one? McCain or Gibsan?
Mary, I didn't hear this until tonight, but did you know Palin was trying to (or did?) charge rape victims for their rape kits? That's adorable, and teaching a little "personal responsibility".
Not that any of this matters to the faithful,Palin seems to have achieved that Messiah status that the media had been imagining about Obama forever. I've even had her taxing oil companies and "redistributing the wealth" explained as no big deal by a wingnut co-worker.
1. Hello Governor, how are you today?
2. So, as I understand it, you’re John McCain’s choice as VP?
3. On the Republican ticket?
4. And can I assume you're thrilled with that?
5. Because you're a maverick?
6. And a reformer?
7. And so is John McCain?
8. He’s a reformer, correct?
9. And of course a maverick, am I right?
10. Did you make the moose ball soup?
I have a question for all you smart folks out there. What the hell does this mean?
Having been the governor of our largest state, the commander of their National Guard, she was once in charge of their natural resources assets, actually, until she found out there was corruption and she quit and said it had to be fixed.
Specifically...what are the "natural resources assets" that she would have been in charge of if she had not quit?
Charles Gibson is both a partisan right wing Republican, and a lapdog. Republican Gibson wants McCain-Palin to get elected. So does his network, GOP-Disney-ABC.
It's no surprise that he's given Liar McCain passes on his lies, and he will give Liar Palin the same passes on her lies.
I doubt Gibson even cares about his credibility anymore. Gibson is a partisan right wing Republican who wants Liar McCain-Liar Palin to get elected. Add to that, Gibson's network, GOP-Disney-ABC, also wants Liar McCain-Liar Palin to get elected.
GOP-Disney-ABC and Republican Liar Gibson will both be giving Liar Palin each and every pro-Republican pass that they both can, an that they both have in their disrespective pockets.
I am not sure why the candidates don't play a bit harder with these "media disfunctions". I can understand that Mr Gibson fears that if they ask "tough" questions and McCain wins the election he may never be invited to the White House in the future.
Fine, but why doesn't Obama get into this fray and threaten ABC and Mr Gibson to understand that if Obama should win ... ABC & Mr Gibson will not be invited to the White House because after all ... He serves no useful purpose to the American public especially "when it really counted".
Maybe it's me but I would certainly put all the major News Services on notice that if they don't do their job from here to election day ... and I were to win ... you and your affiliate will be lucky if you ever get near the rose garden for the remainder of my tenure. Thank you very much but BBC will have full access ... they did their job.
To suggest that Charlie Gibson will ask a single relevant question is tantamount to admitting that pigs (wearing lipstick) can fly.
Charlie started on Good Morning America, asking happy, smiley questions of hungover hollywood types...not exactly the criteria one needs to be regarded as a serious journalist.
(Unfortunately, the only real journalist on ABC died several years ago and now we're stuck with smiling Charlie.)
He will handle her with kid gloves and the McCain camp knew this at the start. He wouldn't dream of making her uncomfortable.
Personally, I'll skip the "interview." Any real journalist wouldn't agree to give the interviewee the questions beforehand and certainly wouldn't allow them to edit out any sound bites they found unacceptable. That's not an interview, it's a puff piece. Exactly like those that Mr. Gibson used to do on GMA.
Tell me again....are we supposed to take this seriously?
I am a long time ABC news viewer. If Charlie Gibson does not politely but firmly question Sarah Palin on her record and her statements, I will find another network. If she is tough enough to stand before the press and make bold and very snide statements, then she is tough enough to be questioned honestly about her record. Did she keep the "Road to Nowhere" money? and use it anyway? How much Federal money has she requested and how much received and how used? How much money has she spent on plans for drilling in ANWR??? Real questions. Leave the hockey mom, and family info alone.
Sorry - but politicians on both sides of the isle are quick enough and bright enough to handle a tough interview - even if the question comes from a brilliant MM staffer.
§ Suppose your 14-year-old daughter Willow is brutally raped in her bedroom by an intruder. She becomes pregnant and wants an abortion. Could you tell the parents of America why you think your child and their children should be forced by law to have their rapists' babies?
§ You say you don't believe global warming is man-made. Could you tell us what scientists you've spoken with or read who have led you to that conclusion? What do you think the 2,500 scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are getting wrong?
§ If you didn't try to fire Wasilla librarian Mary Ellen Baker over her refusal to consider censoring books, why did you try to fire her?
§ What is the European Union, and how does it function?
§ Forty-seven million Americans lack health insurance. John Goodman, who has advised McCain on healthcare, has proposed redefining them as covered because, he says, anyone can get care at an ER. Do you agree with him?
§ What is the function of the Federal Reserve?
§ Cindy and John McCain say you have experience in foreign affairs because Alaska is next to Russia. When did you last speak with Prime Minister Putin, and what did you talk about?
§ Approximately how old is the earth? Five thousand years? 10,000? 5 billion?
§ You are a big fan of President Bush, so why didn't you mention him even once in your convention speech?
§ McCain says cutting earmarks and waste will make up for revenues lost by making the tax cuts permanent. Experts say that won't wash. Balancing the Bush tax cuts plus new ones proposed by McCain would most likely mean cutting Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. Which would you cut?
§ You're suing the federal government to have polar bears removed from the endangered species list, even as Alaska's northern coastal ice is melting and falling into the sea. Can you explain the science behind your decision?
§ You've suggested that God approves of the Iraq War and the Alaska pipeline. How do you know?