Earlier today we brought you news of the President's sit-down interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos in which the Good Morning America co-host asked Obama to respond to Fox News contributor Sarah Palin's criticism that his policy is “kind of like getting out there on the playground...a bunch of kids ready to fight and one of the kids saying 'go ahead, punch me in the face and I'm not going to retaliate,'” to which the President said the Palin is “not much of an expert on nuclear issues.”

Prompted by criticism over bringing up Palin's opinion (who cares?), Stephanopoulos has spoken out. Huffington Post's Sam Stein reports:

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is defending his decision to ask President Barack Obama to respond to Sarah Palin's criticism of his nuclear non-proliferation policy, after several observers questioned the point of bringing the former Alaska Governor into the discussion.

“Whatever [Washington Monthly's] Steve [Benen] thinks of Sarah Palin,” he wrote, “she's a former VP candidate -- and potential challenger to President Obama -- with a strong following in the GOP. She made a pointed critique of a new Presidential policy. By asking the President for his response, I was doing my job.”

Pointed critique? Riiiiiight. For the sake of repetition, here's the clip of Palin's criticism of Obama's nuclear policy that Stephanopoulos felt compelled to air for the President's response:

PALIN: You know, that's kind of like getting out there on the playground...a bunch of kids ready to fight and one of the kids saying, “go ahead, punch me in the face and I'm not going to retaliate.”

By that standard, I have several questions Stephanopoulos may want to consider asking Obama in their next interview from my ten year old nephew.