Sure sure. You mean that they, unlike your Nazi friends at Fox and
Friends, didn't lob her air ball questions. They didn't ask her
questions like "Um, do you want to be VP?... Oh.. Um.. Like, is
hunting fun? Ooh. Are you proud to be a mommie"? No, instead they
asked questioned like "Can you explain the Bush Doctrine?" To which
she got that deer in the headlights look... and couldn't even recall
who Bush was. Maybe she should have closed her eyes and pray for an
answer instead of looking like a retard on national TV.
---
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. And I do believe,
though, that this war against extreme Islamic terrorists is the right
thing. It's an unfortunate thing, because war is hell and I hate war,
and, Charlie, today is the day that I send my first born, my son, my
teenage son overseas with his Stryker brigade, 4,000 other wonderful
American men and women, to fight for our country, for democracy, for
our freedoms.
Charlie, those are freedoms that too many of us just take for granted.
I hate war and I want to see war ended. We end war when we see
victory, and we do see victory in sight in Iraq.
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.
(nailed her... she's a liar... or just doesn't remember the nonsense
that comes out of her mouth)
---
Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall
Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more
example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings
two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount.
That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives
did for us.
Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of
the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with
less regulation, not more.
Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his
own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to
get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to
reform government.
Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I
know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you
give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking
a stand on this?
Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done,
that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership
abilities. And that is what America needs today.
Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the
point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more
regulation.
Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you. (wink)
---
Couric: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your
foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
Sarah Palin: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a
foreign country, Russia, and, on our other side, the land-boundary
that we have with Canada. It's funny that a comment like that was
kinda made to Â∑ I don't know, you know Â∑ reporters.
Couric: Mocked?
Palin: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.
Couric: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign-policy
credentials.
Palin: Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors
are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of.
And thereÂ∑
Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example,
with the Russians?
Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It's very
important when you consider even national security issues with Russia.
As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United
States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over
the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that
an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because
they are right there, they are right next to our state.
---
"You know, conditions have really changed in Alaska in the political
arena since Aug. 29, since I was tapped to run for VP. When that
opposition research -- those researchers really bombarded Alaska --
started digging for dirt and have not let up. They're not gonna find
any dirt," she said. "We keep proving that every time we win an ethics
violation lawsuit, and we've won every one of them. But it has been
costing our state millions of dollars. It's cost Todd and me. You know
the adversaries would love to see us put on the path of personal
bankruptcy so that we can't afford to run."
As to whether another pursuit for national office, as when she joined
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the race for the White House less than a
year ago, would result in the same political blood sport, Palin said
there was a difference between the White House and what she had
experienced in Alaska. If she were in the White House, she said, the
"department of law" would protect her from baseless ethical
allegations.
(Department of Law... I guess she plans to expand the Federal
government. There is no such department.)
---
GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last
couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia
from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they're doing in
Georgia?
PALIN: Well, I'm giving you that perspective of how small our world is
and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good
relation with all of these countries, especially Russia. We will not
repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies,
pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it's in their
benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be
getting along.
We cannot repeat the Cold War. We are thankful that, under Reagan, we
won the Cold War, without a shot fired, also. We've learned lessons
from that in our relationship with Russia, previously the Soviet
Union.
We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our
allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it's in
their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to
be getting along.
GIBSON: Would you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?
PALIN: Ukraine, definitely, yes. Yes, and Georgia.
GIBSON: Because Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion
into the Caucasus.
PALIN: Well, you know, the Rose Revolution, the Orange Revolution,
those actions have showed us that those democratic nations, I believe,
deserve to be in NATO.
Putin thinks otherwise. Obviously, he thinks otherwise, but...
GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn't we then have to go to war
if Russia went into Georgia?
PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO
ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected
to be called upon and help.
But NATO, I think, should include Ukraine, definitely, at this point
and I think that we need to -- especially with new leadership coming
in on January 20, being sworn on, on either ticket, we have got to
make sure that we strengthen our allies, our ties with each one of
those NATO members.
We have got to make sure that that is the group that can be counted
upon to defend one another in a very dangerous world today.
---
GIBSON: Let me turn to Iran. Do you consider a nuclear Iran to be an
existential threat to Israel?
PALIN: I believe that under the leadership of Ahmadinejad, nuclear
weapons in the hands of his government are extremely dangerous to
everyone on this globe, yes.
GIBSON: So what should we do about a nuclear Iran? John McCain said
the only thing worse than a war with Iran would be a nuclear Iran.
John Abizaid said we may have to live with a nuclear Iran. Who's
right?
PALIN: No, no. I agree with John McCain that nuclear weapons in the
hands of those who would seek to destroy our allies, in this case,
we're talking about Israel, we're talking about Ahmadinejad's comment
about Israel being the "stinking corpse, should be wiped off the face
of the earth," that's atrocious. That's unacceptable.
GIBSON: So what do you do about a nuclear Iran?
PALIN: We have got to make sure that these weapons of mass
destruction, that nuclear weapons are not given to those hands of ...
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