Gibson Hits Palin Below the Belt (video & transcripts)

IRIS ^ | September 12. 2008

[Ooh-Ah]

In Governor Sarah Palin's first media interview since her nomination, Charles Gibson has insisted on forcing Sarah Palin to defend something she did not say:

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.

The problem is that her full statement simply asked people to pray for soldiers to do the right thing and for US leaders to do God's will in general when sending out soldiers:

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

Her grammar in the extemporaneous speech is clearer to understand in the actual video (at 3:23):

VIDEO



Back to the Gibson interview:

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.

Here is the quote from Lincoln:

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right

It is clear from the original video that this is exactly what she meant. The interview continues:

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."

This is another dowdification. Here is what she actually said:

...that is what we have to make sure that we are praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan

Back to the interview:

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.

There is nothing radical about this sentiment at all--not only is it a fundamental element of mainstream Christianity, it is an ecumenical sentiment--Jewish theology relies on this concept as well. Here, for example, is an excerpt from the Talmud (Ethics of the Fathers):

Do His will as if it was your will

Update: This is really funny. Excerpts from the Gibson clip are now posted on ABC's Internet site. First of all, the clip of Palin speaking is actually spliced into the Gibson interview and it shows Gibson's quote to be a dowdification! Gibson pulled his misinformation from the original AP story that distorted the text. However, the video clip of her speech has been cut off before the key element (shown in bold below):

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

Palin is simply asking churchgoers to pray that US leaders make the right choices, as opposed to a declarative statement that the Iraq war is "God's will."

[Scotswife]

I’m still mulling over what it was that I saw last night (I watched the Nightline version)

Of course I saw what everyone is talking about - and Charlie’s demeanor was distracting.

And she did look tense. You could tell she knew she was the subject of a hostile conversation.

But I saw a gleam in her eye.
She was not intimidated, and she did not hesitate.
He was deliberately trying to flub her up -and she did not get flustered. There was not one “uh” “err”, or “ya know”.

And now that I’ve read other peoples’ opinions about the Bush doctrine - and NATO - and Russia, it appears that despite Sarah’s non-Ivy League education, and her years spent “only” being a mom and mayor - that her IQ is higher than Gibson’s.
And he’s too stupid to even see it.

The woman is smart, and she IS a pit bull.

How many newcomers could have faced this grilling?j
Biden and Obama still don’t get this treatement.

She is only going to get better - and the media aren’t going to know what to do with her.

[Ann Archy]

Hey Charlie....we don’t expect Sarah to be handled with KID Gloves, but we don’t like her being handled with BOXING Gloves.......ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

[Edgerunner]

Gibson is just another propagandist like rather and all the rest of them. Just another hack. Too bad Chuck...It could have been GLORIOUS...

[Oldpuppymax]

Chuckie is just the first media hack who will be eaten up by Palin. Even the dishonest presentation did not help his cause. More will join him under the hockey mom bus.

[GoLightly]

I’ve only seen snippets of the interview, but my impression....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAFQdFQdN1s&feature=related

[jporcus]

If there is one positive thing that came out of all this is how WELL Sarah was able to deal with all this. Frankly, I don’t think any of the other candidates would have done so well. She kept her cool and managed to provide good/reasonable answers. Bravo Sarah!