In her debut as a contributor to Fox News, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin admitted Tuesday that leading up to her 2008 vice presidential debate she thought Iraq may have been behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Interviewed by Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly on his show “The O’Reilly Factor,” Palin trashed many of the critical accounts of her candidacy in the new book “Game Change.” But one story from the book that Palin did not say was “made up” or “a lie” was the description of her uncertainty as to whether Iraq had a hand in the planning of the September 11 attacks.
“I did talk a lot to [campaign strategist] Steve Schmidt about the history of the war and where the attackers could have come from,” Palin said of her debate prep during the fall of 2008 – more than five years after the start of the war in Iraq and seven years after the terrorist attacks that hit New York and Washington.
“I do admit to asking questions about that,” she said.
Palin appeared for the first time as a paid contributor on the network, smiling and eagerly answering each of O’Reilly’s questions. “I’m grinning today and I’m so appreciative to be here with you today and the team at Fox News for the fair and balanced news that voters of America deserve,” she said.
Overall, Palin had a very negative take on the book written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
“These reporters were not any part of what I was doing there as the VP candidate,” she said. “I don’t know who they are. I haven’t met these guys.”
Asked about the book’s assertion that she did not know that the Korean peninsula was separated into two vastly different countries, Palin responded: “That’s a lie.”
“It’s pretty made up,” Palin said of the book, which she said she has not read. Palin said she did not watch interviews with the two reporters or Schmidt on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday because she was warned it was “bull.”
During the “60 Minutes” interview, Schmidt relayed a story about how he was told Palin’s debate performance would be a “debacle of historic and epic proportions.”
Palin disputed Schmidt’s account, saying that the story “was not true. And Steve Schmidt told us how overjoyed he was by the debate.”
“I felt good about it,” she said of the debate. “Steve Schmidt felt great about it”
Palin said she was not worried by what Schmidt or the reporters said on the program because “the American people are immediately neutralizing programs like ‘60 Minutes.’”
But while Palin had issues with her depiction, she had no problem seizing on quotes within the book from Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) who credited President Barack Obama’s attractiveness as a candidate to his lighter skin color and lack of a “Negro dialect.”
“You can’t defend those comments,” she said. “His thinking and articulation of that thought are quite perplexing.”
When O’Reilly pointed out to Palin that Reid was not standing by the remark, the former Republican governor responded: “He says he’s sorry.”
10 comments:
Palin comes off as unintelligant and immature. She is denouncing a book she never even read. She handles accusations against herself childishly and with no eveidence to prove them false. I also find it ironic that she referred to 6o minutes as "bull" while she herself was on fox.
Steve Schmidt seems to be fairly important in Palin's life. I flipped through her book a while back, and all the blame seems to be put on Schmidt. She claims that Schmidt, McCain's political advisor, did not offer much advice on the debates, but instead told her to "be herself." I'm surprised she continued to take his advice during the campaign. As a side note, people clearly don't understand that Harry Reid was born in 1939 and was raised during racial times in America. Palin's remark of "he says he's sorry," simply shows her lack of faith in American government and the people elected to it. You can sit there on the bench complaining with everyone else, or you can get out there and help win the big game.
The most disturbing aspect of this article is the fact that Ms. Palin is more than willing to criticize something she has not even read. She may know what some of the material contains generally; however, without having personally read it, she has no information to form an appropriate and independent opinion. To prepare a legitimate statement on any quotes from this new book, Ms. Palin must have actually read the quotes in context.
The apparent hypocrisy in her willingness to both support and denounce quotes in the book in relation to her political opponent and herself is also appalling. Ms. Palin needs to decide whether this book is, in fact, a justifiable source. By stating that the claims leveled against Senator Reid are of importance, Ms. Palin just endorsed the claims leveled against her. Either the entire work is garbage, or the entire work is accurate enough to be considered reliable.
I'm surprised Palin is talking about "Game Change" and doesn't even know who the authors are, if she reads the book she could defend herself properly, but if she said everything in there was a lie how did they know how she felt about the 9/11 attacks.
I would say that there is more to Sarah Palin than meets the eye, but I don't believe there is. She is simply a charming woman with a humorous rural wit that is thoroughly entertaining to listen to. I can't say that I, nor many other people, place a high value on her opinion, but she will be an entertaining addition to Fox News. I find this to be similar to the new American Idol judge, Ellen DeGeneres. While she cannot offer true singing advice, she can comment from the position of a viewer and bring comedy to the show. Sarah will undoubtedly fill this same niche at Fox News.
Oh wow... Sarah Palin your an inspiration for all women in politics. Like everyone has stated she speaks without even being informed. Why would you criticize a book you haven't even read and then contradict yourself and agree with it? And yes, while Halperin and Heilemann were not involved in Palin's activities while she ran for Vice President, she embarrassed not only John McCain but the entire Republican Party continuously on national television. She deflects assertions made in "Game Change" with phrases like "That's a lie", or "It's pretty made up". Will it ever stop? I hope Palin will answer that question with "You betcha".
I honestly have nothing against Palin but i must admit that from what i have heard and read about her, she seems to be quite lost in her surronding situations. She should definitely read and study the accusations thrown against her before insulting them on national television. On the other hand, if what has been published against her is not true, then it is sad that people do this kind of stuff to humiliate others...but hey it's all part of the game of politics right?
To me, the whole situation with Palin and her VP campaign makes me think that Palin only did what she was told to do. As Brickland stated earlier about Schmidt telling her to "be herself," and her not really not being able to pull it off shows that she really wasn't being true to her beliefs and campaign. I believe that now that things are done with and she no longer has the spot light, she is attacking everyone she was with and making everything seem as if everyone wronged her, when in actual reality, she was the one wronging herself. If Palin was to come off to the public as intelligent and honest, she should have taken the initiative to think for herself and stop listening to everyone else, *nudge nudge Schmidt*.
I don't have a problem with Palin. I have a problem with John McCain's choice of her as his running mate. I understand why he wanted to seem like more of a maverick, and have a woman running mate. But why Sarah Palin? There are many, much more experienced and qualified woman in the Republican party.
She needs to hit the books if she wants to have a better chance in 2012.
It's really not hard to connect the dots here. Sara Palin has showed us in the past that she's completely incompetent of being ranked in the same level with other intellectual politicians from both sides. She proved this during her run as vice president candidate. She couldn't name countries involved in North American free trade agreement, she didn't know what the Bush Doctrine was, and she actually thought that Africa was a country. I think that's the reason she was trying to dodge O'rielly's request to neutralize 60 minutes. I think Schmidt is right that her candidacy wasn't the worst thing happening to the right, but her candidacy in 2012?? That could be.
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