Posted on 11/23/2009 7:26:57 PM PST by markomalley
Sarah Palin, the hottest name in the Republican Party, took a detour from her book-signing tour Sunday to dine with Billy Graham at his mountaintop home in Montreat.
"He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith," said son Franklin Graham, who was present for the 2 1/2-hour get-together. "Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up."
The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told Billy Graham about how she came to faith in God as a girl in Bible camp.
She quizzed him on the presidents he's known and wanted his take on what the Bible says about Israel, Iran and Iraq, Franklin Graham reported.
Graham's son also confirmed his father got a call Nov. 12 from President Obama, a Democrat, who was phoning from Air Force One as he jetted to Asia.
"He said he wanted to come by and meet my father sometime," Franklin Graham said. Obama also wished the evangelist belated birthday wishes - he turned 91 on Nov. 7. Graham told the president he'd be happy to meet with him and then shared a verse from Proverbs, his son said.
Billy Graham is no longer a regular visitor to the White House and his travels are now room to room, not country to country.
But a private meeting with the Charlotte-born evangelist - still one of the country's most admired figures - remains high on the to-do lists of politicians from both parties.
Palin, who will sign copies of "Going Rogue," her memoir, today at Fort Bragg, brought several family members with her to the Graham homestead: her mother, her father, a maternal aunt and daughter Piper and son Trig.
Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, a Raleigh-based evangelist, also joined the dinner. They ate chicken breast, roast beef and green beans - washed down, of course, with that most Southern of beverages, iced tea. All the food was catered, Franklin Graham said.
A little after 3 p.m., Palin and her family arrived at the Asheville airport, where she was met by Franklin Graham. The two got to know each other this year in Alaska. She accompanied him as Samaritan's Purse, a Boone-based international relief agency he heads, delivered 44,000 pounds of groceries to Eskimo families in villages along the frozen Yukon River who had been hit by a harsh winter.
Samaritan's Purse has an office in Alaska, and Franklin Graham owns a cabin in the state. Graham also leads the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which his father founded decades ago.
Billy Graham told his son that he ought to invite Palin to visit the next time she was near North Carolina. Palin accepted.
At the airport, prior to the dinner, she told reporters that she considered the prospect of meeting Billy Graham "a once-in-a-lifetime honor" and credited the evangelist with being perhaps the world's most influential figure in passing along "issues that matter," including the eternal ones.
At Graham's Montreat home, he and Palin sat one-on-one for 35 to 40 minutes, talking about spiritual and other matters, Franklin Graham said.
Billy Graham has trouble hearing now, but Palin spoke directly and loudly enough, Franklin Graham said.
Graham signed Bibles for her parents, her aunt and each of Palin's children. And he signed two for her - a small one she can carry with her and a large New King James version with margins big enough to write in during Bible study time.
Palin also came bearing a gift, Franklin Graham said. She brought the evangelist a late birthday present: a Carhartt jacket, a heavy outdoorsy coat that's also considered a sort of uniform of sorts in cold Alaska.
There was other chitchat: About Billy Graham's 1984 crusade in Alaska, about what Palin's husband Todd was doing.
Franklin Graham said Palin made no headlines about whether or not she might run for president in 2012. "Daddy prayed for whatever God had in store for her," his son said.
Asheville is also the home of the World, a conservative evangelical Christian magazine whose regular writers includes Lynn Vincent, Palin's ghostwriter on "Going Rogue," which is already a best-seller.
Besides preaching to crowds all over the globe, Billy Graham acted as a pastor to several U.S. presidents.
He's shied away from official endorsements over the years, but politicians have flocked to him - and he to them - for public seals of approval.
Though a longtime registered Democrat, Graham's closest political friendships have been with Republicans such as Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush.
Last year, during the presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain, the GOP nominee who picked Palin as his running mate, made a courtesy call on the elderly Graham.
Democrat Barack Obama had scheduled a meeting with Graham during a stop in nearby Asheville, but Graham, who has his good days and bad days, was not up to a visit at the time.
Palin, who is popular with many conservatives, is widely regarded as a possible contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
That is about the best endorsement that any conservative could hope for!
"He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith," said son Franklin Graham, who was present for the 2 1/2-hour get-together. "Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up."
Amen to that... and Go Palin!
Does anyone else see how tacky this is?
You're going on an overseas trip to Asia and you call Rev Graham?
"Uh, uh...I just wanted to say 'hi', and get it out the way that I called you so the teabaggers won't complain..."
a man in a Carhartt jacket is a Great American!
Thanks, Joe. Cool indeed. He’s praying for Trig there!
That would be a good start, don't you agree?
The place I would start, with that issue, is with state laws making it mandatory for a candidate to show his birth certificate or else he cannot be placed on the ballot. That's the only sure-fire way to guarantee that this does not happen again.
I've stated this as an absolutely guaranteed solution since right after the election. Here in Oklahoma, there was a bill passed in the House ("State House") which made that requirement. But, it didn't get through the Senate.
There are several other states that either have it in the works or did. It will be placed up again this next session.
That's how to solve this problem.
Constitution reigns! And I don’t want to hear any more of that dribble of yours and your covering for BHO.
LOL... in case you didn’t notice, you asked a question and I answered it... that’s how it usually works... :-)
I knew the answer before I asked - that’s how conservatism works! But you don’t know that.
Evidently a 'gentle' way not to meet with a purely evil man. He evidently did not invite the obummer to his house...I wouldn't expect him too. A man like Graham should never have a presence like obummer in his home. Seriously.
Well..., a waste of time on your part... :-)
Nice article. What a wonderful meeting I am sure they all had.
1) Do I understand it right that he wanted a meeting with HER? Obama calls him. Billy calls Sarah. Am I wrong?
2) I’d love to know what Billy would say to Obama. I don’t think O would want it public.
Not at all! More like mission accomplished.
LOL... yeah..., like in the playground of your mind... :-)
1. You are right!
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