Joe, just tell me this, is there one there where you disagree with Obama.
• Alessandra Stanley writes that “in some ways it was the worst” interview Palin has done. The exchange on Russia was “startling,” her answer “surprisingly wobbly.” While it’s “perhaps understandable” that Palin “felt nervous,” it still “wasn’t a reassuring performance.” [NYT]
• Howard Kurtz says Palin “struggled at times and appeared less comfortable than” in her interview with Charlie Gibson. [WP]
• James Rainey calls Palin “rambling, marginally responsive and even more adrift than during her network debut with ABC’s Charles Gibson.” On the bailout, Palin meandered “off in fruitless pursuit of coherence”; on Russia, she didn’t have an answer even though “anyone south of the Arctic Circle would have seen [the] question coming.” [LAT]
• Steve Benen tries to watch the interview from “the perspective of an earnest Republican observer, who cares about the country, and who takes policy issues seriously.” The conclusion is that, regardless of how Palin got here, “reasonable people should agree that the Republican vice presidential nominee is way out of her depth, and has no business seeking national office.” [Political Animal/Washington Monthly]
• Earnest Republican observer Ross Douthat can’t link to video of the interview because it’s “too painful,” but seems to admit he was wrong in his earlier advocacy for Palin. Of course, it’s always possible that it’s all “just effing brilliant rope-a-dope for the Biden debate.” [Atlantic]
• Another earnest Republican observer, Kathleen Parker, thinks that Palin has been revealed as someone “Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.” Because Palin is a woman, “we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.” But it is true: “If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.” [Corner/National Review]
• Michael Crowley says the “real story” may be “percolating fear at McCain HQ that Palin’s stock may be headed the way of Lehman Brothers.” Why else did McCain do an interview with CBS on the same day as Palin unless to overshadow her? [Stump/New Republic]
• Andrew Romano notes that Palin has “certainly benefited from the fact that the bailout brouhaha prevented a pair of less-than-flattering exchanges with Couric from making the sort of impact they would have made had Mr. McCain not, in fact, gone to Washington.” [Stumper/Newsweek]
• Chuck Todd and friends concur that without “McCain’s debate gambit, Palin’s near-disastrous two-part interview with Katie Couric would be dominating the political discussion right now.” The only upside is that Palin “has moved her debate expectations to an all-time low.” [First Read/MSNBC]
• Kevin Drum claims “you can’t watch this clip from Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric without wondering if she’s completely cracked under the pressure of running for vice president.” It’s gotten to the point where Drum doesn’t “even feel right making snarky jokes about this stuff anymore.” [Mother Jones]
• That’s not an issue for Karen Tumulty, who wonders if the Russian invasion scenario described by Palin is cribbed from Red Dawn. [Swampland/Time]
• Marc Ambinder notes that in “another tough interview,” Palin answered “a question about how she would spread democracy by agreeing that, indeed, one should spread democracy.” [Atlantic]
• Alex Koppelman and Mark Schone write that the interview “was memorable for how badly Palin performed.” As her voice shook, Palin “was once again Miss South Carolina Teen USA.” [War Room/Salon]
• Greg Sargent writes that “it’s pretty close to impossible to work out exactly what” Palin was saying in her answer on U.S.-Israeli relations. [Election Central/TPM]
• Rod Dreher is “well and truly embarrassed” for Palin. She’s “a good woman who might well be a great governor of Alaska,” but this was a “train wreck.” [Crunchy Con/Beliefnet]
• Christopher Beam brings together some “professional media trainers” to offer suggestions for how Palin can improve her interviews, such as giving more details, not repeating yourself ten times, and avoiding a dependency on catchphrases. [Slate]
Looks like palins recent interviews are starting to get people questioning her
(CNN) – Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is “out of her league” and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.
The criticism in Parker’s Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.
It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. “Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league.”
Palin’s interview with Couric drew criticism when the Alaska governor was unable to provide an example of when John McCain had pushed for more regulation of Wall Street during his Senate career. Palin also took heat for defending her foreign policy credentials by suggesting Russian leaders enter Alaska airspace when they come to America. Palin was also criticized last week for appearing not to know what the Bush Doctrine is during an interview with Charlie Gibson.
“If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself," Parker also writes. “If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.”
Parker, who praised McCain’s “keen judgment” for picking Palin earlier this month and wrote the Alaska governor is a “perfect storm of God, Mom and apple pie,” now says Palin should step down from the ticket.
“Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves," Parker writes. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country."
Parker’s comments follow those by prominent conservatives David Brooks, George Will,and David Frum who have all publicly questioned Palin’s readiness to be vice president.
“Sarah Palin has many virtues,” Brooks wrote in a recent column. "If you wanted someone to destroy a corrupt establishment, she’d be your woman. But the constructive act of governance is another matter. She has not been engaged in national issues, does not have a repertoire of historic patterns and, like President Bush, she seems to compensate for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness
If you’re remotely undecided and you don’t watch the debate tonight, you’re an idiot.
I dn’t understand how someone can be undecided, these candidates are so different.
racist democrats, clinton supporters that dont like either, people that think palin is hot but dont like mccain, crazy jesus freaks that think mccain isnt holy enough, people that like obama’s policy but arent sure if hes ready to lead, and the just plain ignorant.
i think that about sums it up.
I’ll be the first to say that McCain did better than I expected. I still think Obama was better but not as much as I thought.
I can’t wait to see the VP debate and the debate on domestic issues.
I dvr’d it and I’m watching it right now.
my biggest gripe with mccain… his " i’ve met with people in the war, mothers of sons who died in the war, and they say dont let us lose this war" arguement… of course they dont’ want to lose, its called pride, just like anyone has with anything they do. but there also comes a time when you have to just swallow that pride and move on!
This pretty much went as expected, I am more interested in the vp debate next week. It is sort of disconcerting that neither of them really answered the questions regarding the recent economic crisis and the correct steps get America out of it. They had no problem blaming each other for it but it didn’t seem like they presented any solutions.
x2. For every family that has lost a loved one that wants the war to go on so we can “win” there is a family that doesn’t want any other family to go through the same loss. Lets not forget Cindy Sheehan, although she lost all credibility with me when she went to Venezuela.
When it came down to the issues. I felt when the economy was the issue Obama was the clear winner. He gave us his plan and what he wants to see happen with the bailout.
McCain on the economy only had one thing to say which was to lower spending, which is fine but has little to do with Wall St.
When it came to national security, McCain made a pretty clear argument that he had more experience. Although I agree with Obama that Iraq was a mistake and that we have dropped the ball in Afghanistan.
Again it was much closer than I expected but I still believe Obama did better.
In regard to this… I ust stumbled across some cliffs of the Palin:Couric interview… dear god.
In her second “CBS Evening News” interview with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin was asked why she didn’t get a passport until 2006. Did it, as some of her viewers wonder, show a lack of curiousity and interest about the world and other cultures?
She told the CBS newsperson that she had to work, sometimes two jobs, and that’s why she didn’t backpack around Europe like privileged kids do.
“I’m not one of those who maybe come from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduated college and their parents get them a passport and a backpack and say, ‘Go off and travel the world.’ Noooo. I worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life, until I had kids. … I was not part of, I guess, that culture.”Uh, yea, very reassuring and diplomatic…
So there.
Turns out she’s not the only one without wanderlust or the abiity to travel.
According to a 2007 report in USA Today, only 74 million Americans have valid passports. This figure may have increased now that a passport is required for travel to Mexico.
According to a 2007 count, the U.S. population is 281 million. That means a surprisingly small percentage of American citizens travel outside the country. And now that the value of the dollar has dropped so drastically, foreign travel is likely to take a hit.
But let’s talk about Palin being able to see Russia from her house. The Alaska governor rolled her eyes when discussing how her comment “I can see Russia from my house,” was, as Couric put it, “mocked” by reporters.
Couric pressed, asking why Russia’s visibility enhances her foreign policy credentials.“Well, it certainly does,” Palin replied. “Our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of.”
“Bordering” the outskirts of Russia & the more vastly barren arena of Canada enhances foriegn policy credo? Really? Jesus, my car must be pretty fuggin fast because I am near to Mindless & TurboLS1!
Has she ever been involved in any negotiations with the Russians?
“We have trade missions back and forth, we do” said Palin. "It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace 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. "
So, the answer would be “no”, you haven’t.
Wow, I mean just wow. To quote John “again, I think it’s a case of nievety…”
She is NOT helping the cause. I can’t wait for Palin vs. Biden!!!
God. Does anyone else expect it to be a disaster for Palin?
I think even Palin expects it to be a disaster for Palin.
:lol:
Obama was doing better the first half hour but he got totally schooled on foreign policy. Obama’s lack of experience and knowledge on world affairs is very scary. I agree that Obama would be better for the economy but that won’t mean much if we get involved in world war three. I also like how Obama kept saying “I will do” and McCain was saying “I have done.” It really shows that Obama is not ready yet.
Getting the economy straightened out is a war in itself.
No doubt, but a least a ton of people are not going to die.
I would assume that with the war, there would so many high ups in the Military involved that it would be almost impossible to fuck that up. I don’t know how much ultimate control the president and his cabinet has over that stuff though.