Questions for the mystery guest
Seeking answers from Sarah Palin
Questions for the mystery guest
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
The Sunday chat shows had quite a lineup of heavyweights yesterday. We had Barack Obama on ABC, Joe Biden on NBC, John McCain on CBS, and Sarah Palin – wait a second, Sarah Palin was on…what? Surely she was somewhere on the air, let’s see…I must have missed that listing…still looking…On Fox? Nope….CNN? Nope…MSNBC? Nope….I mean, after all, this is somebody who has already been judged by McCain as ready to assume the presidency on a moment’s notice, so clearly she must be ready to step into the journalistic firing line and showcase her breadth of knowledge. Right?
Wrong. Palin is still America's mystery guest. The McCain people said a few days ago that she would remain on the sidelines, where presumably the briefers are working overtime to pour talking points into her head, until such time that she feels “comfortable.” But since their statement was a virtual admission that she's indeed not ready to hit big-league pitching, the McCain people clearly needed to erase it, pronto. And so they have. They announced yesterday that Palin will take questions later this week during a sitdown with Charlie Gibson of ABC News.
I wouldn’t presume to know what Gibson plans to ask her, but, in the interests of a venerable American journalistic tradition known as holding candidates accountable, I’d love to see these questions on the table. They ain’t all pretty – the byplay between candidates and journalists is often akin to watching sausage get made – but still:
1. Gov. Palin, news reports indicate that you are undergoing intensive foreign policy tutelage from Senator Joe Lieberman and senior members of the McCain team, including Randy Scheunemann and Stephen Biegun. Lieberman and Scheunemann are known for their ties to the neoconservatives who promoted the invasion of Iraq. Biegun last worked on George W. Bush's National Security Council. Given your lack of foreign policy expertise, how confident can we be – and how confident are you – that you are being briefed by a sufficiently broad range of people? Is the McCain campaign reaching out to include, as briefers, prominent Republicans who disagree with the neoconservatives and the Bush White House? People like Brent Scowcroft and Colin Powell, for example? Are you insisting on a broad range of briefers? If the range of advice that you are getting is narrow, how would you know?
2. You recently stated in a church appearance that the war in Iraq is “a task from God.” Imagine that you have been thrust into the presidency, and that you have to decide whether to launch a new military action. If you were to determine, in your prayers, that this new military action also qualified as “a task from God,” how much confidence should the American people have that you would carefully consider all earthly counter-arguments – including any warnings by U.S. intelligence that war was the least defensible option?
3. One follow-up on Iraq. In Bob Woodward’s new book, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says about Iraq, “There are a lot of things if I could go back and do them differently, I would.” Do you agree with Secretary Rice? If so, since you have been vetted by Senator McCain as being ready to assume the presidency, will you share with us three or four specific things that you wish had been done differently in Iraq? For instance, in terms of execution, what would you have done differently with respect to the Sunnis and the Shiites? Can you explain to us the difference between the Sunnis and the Shiites?
4. Following up on the simple question that Campbell Brown of CNN tried to ask last week – she posed this question to a McCain aide, who ruled it out of bounds – can you give us an example of a command that you have given to the Alaska National Guard? Something specific that sheds light on your readiness to be commander-in-chief of the United States? And could you please comment on last week’s press reports that the Alaska National Guard, during your tenure as governor, has been plagued by personnel shortages that make its aviation units the most poorly staffed in America? How do you respond to the fact that the Alaska Guard’s top officer warned in a memo, earlier this year, that the lack of qualified airmen “has reached a crisis level”? How do these developments square with Senator McCain’s claim that your command of the Guard constitutes national security experience?
5. Governor, you are currently the target of an ethics probe in Alaska. It was authorized by a bipartisan decision of the legislature. You are accused in some quarters of abusing your power, that you fired the state police commissioner because he allegedly dragged his feet on dumping one of his troopers, your ex-brother-in-law. The details may be too murky for many voters, but what’s most interesting is that at first you promised to cooperate fully with the investigation – only to renege on that promise. Now you’re saying that you will only provide testimony if the legislature stops its own probe and transfers jurisdiction to the state Personnel Board – whose three members are appointed by the governor. If you have nothing to hide, why are you trying to game the process? And isn’t there a risk that your stance in Alaska might remind some voters of the Bush administration’s general refusal to cooperate fully with congressional oversight investigators?
6. Governor, you will soon become a grandmother, congratulations. You have praised your daughter for her decision to have the baby and keep the baby. You emphasize that this was her choice. But there are tens of millions of voters who would like to have a far broader range of choices. How do you intend to persuade Hillary Clinton’s voters that all women should be denied the choice of abortion, even in cases of rape or incest? Isn’t your position antithetical to what Hillary Clinton has fought for since the ruling of Roe v. Wade?
7. Governor, you keep telling audiences that you told Congress, “Thanks, but no thanks” on the boondoggle Bridge to Nowhere – whereas in reality, of course, you campaigned for that bridge project in 2006 and abandoned it only when it became a national embarrassment. How do you square your current remarks with your previous remarks praising the work of Alaska’s Republican delegation in obtaining the federally-earmarked funds? And how do you square Senator McCain’s promise to veto all earmarked projects with the fact that Alaska depends heavily on federal earmarks, and that Alaska is currently seeking projects totaling well in excess of $100 million? And how can you present yourself as an anti-earmark “maverick,” when your own representative in Washington, John Katz, recently defended earmarks in an op-ed piece, calling them “a legitimate exercise of Congress’ constitutional power to amend the budget”?
8. Governor, you and your husband in the past have attended conventions of the Alaska Independence Party. This year, you videotaped a message of greeting for the AIP’s 2008 convention, urging members to “keep up the good work.” Yet the AIP for decades has endorsed the idea of giving Alaskans the option to secede from the United States. Why have you failed to denounce a group whose message contradicts Senator McCain’s slogan “Country First”? And why do you continue to associate with a group whose founder, Joe Vogler, declared that “the fires of hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American government” and declared that “I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions”? Governor, why haven’t you renounced this man, the way that Senator Obama has renounced Jeremiah Wright?
9. And forgive me, governor, but I can’t resist this one. The entire state of Alaska has 670,000 people. Montgomery County, a suburban county outside Philadelphia, has 775,000 people. The Montgomery County commissioners deal with issues of sprawl and land use and environment versus economic development, just as you do, except they don’t run huge budget surpluses every year, like you do – with 86 percent of your tax revenue coming from the oil industry. Therefore, given the fact that the Montgomery commissioners have more constituents than you do, tougher budget tradeoffs than you have, and given the fact that they have roughly the same national security expertise as you do, aren’t they just as qualified as you to be vice president of the United States?
It would be nice if Obama would answer these questions. Question 4 Obama can't answer that question he has no executive experience. Question 5. He has dodged the Rezko payoff. Question 7. Exactly how much pork barrel spending has Obama vetoed? Can't be asked that question because he has no executive experience. Question 9. Obama can't be asked this question either. No executive experience. This is just the usual liberal tripe written by a partisan hack who falls into line with the Obama networks NBC and CNN.— wendy27- This columnist is distorting the facts to support his own biased view. The left wing media is desperately groping for something that will work to explain their recent viciousness. Let me explain. When something authentic and real bumps up against something inauthentic and fake, that which is inauthentic and fake is instantly exposed. The reaction of left wing media types to the rise of Sarah Palin says it all. Besides witnessing the panic and sheer terror which comes about when a small group of self-appointed elitists realizes it has instantly been rendered irrelevant, i.e., is no longer in a position to pick our next president and vice president, the rest of us get to enjoy one pathetic attempt after another by such left wing group to destroy Sarah Palin. After a week of such attempts, Sarah Palin’s approval rating is today higher than Obama’s. Obviously, the left wing media nearly overnight has been rendered irrelevant. We are now questioning the pre-existing biases of the columnist or journalist more than ever. Is such person spouting a typical left wing feminist line of thought? A typical left wing Jewish line of thought? A typical left wing black line of thought (e.g., Oprah)? What a story! An entire group of self-appointed left wing media elitists rendered irrelevant, nearly overnight, due to a new found focus on their deep pre-existing biases and prejudices (including sexism against the sole female candidate and racism against the white Republican candidates), exposed for all to see. And all brought about by the simple, mere nomination of some woman from Alaska. Only in America!!— tas13
Comment removed.- Polman, are you paid by the Inquirer to write this stuff? If so you are over paid no matter what you are paid. Give it up, this is getting old! Find another subject to gnawl on. Nothing new here!— junethe4th
- Spinspotter.com gives this "article" a spin rating of 4/5.— plaasjaapie
- JeffA is right about the issue of foreign policy experience. In fact, for 28 of the last 32 years, we had presidents who's previous highest office was governor. None of them had foreign policy experience, and yet managed.— DAdams
- How about this one for Obama. Given that your political career received a mjor boost from an unrepentant terrorist, why should Americans believe you would fight terrorism, and pursue Bin Laden, as you so boldy declared? Also, as someone so strongly opposed to the "Bush lies", how do you reconcile this with your lie about knowing Ayers via having children in school together? Lastly, was inadequate "preparation" that lead Obama to say he would sit down with the leadership of Iran and North Korea without preconditions?— B2
- Sarah Palin did not as you say state in a church appearance that the war in Iraq is “a task from God.” This is a twisting of words to fulfill your agenda. It is just one of the many reasons I long ago canceled my subscription to the Inquirer.— ScottB
- You know the Republicans are in deep trouble when their only line of attack is the 'left wing media'. It's hilarious. Oh, and what is up with Tom today? Is he now the spokesman for Palin? Let's all be honest, they are shielding her from the press for very obvious reasons.— cascade159
- First responder to me: The democrats have owned congress for two years. Second responder: Things are not so bad. To the first: Are you laying responsibility for the ills I have pointed out mainly on the congress? To the first: Do most Americans therefore go along with you and say, "things are not so bad?" To all: what about the proposals from the Republicans? I know that they are big on nuclear power. Do people from the state of Pennsylvania (home of Three Mile Island) really approve of expanding nuclear power?— santiago649
- "You know the Republicans are in deep trouble..." Classic lefty logic.— A Friend
- Is Sarah Palin ready to lead? Well since she is vice presidential candidate and unless McCain croaks she has no power. How about is Obama ready to lead? He is running for the top job. And why should she go on the Sunday shows after the same people that run them have trashed her and her family since day one. Here is an example of a question that Obama and Palin would get on a Sunday show. Obama. Senator what is you favorite chocolate and where does Michelle get those wonderful dresses. Palin. Mayor when will you supply DNA to "prove" the baby is yours also when did you stop being a racist to Eskimos. Get my drift?— harley2002
- I have to admit, Sarah Palin's use of earmarks is troubling. Many on this site point out how can she be for change when she fed at the earmark trough herself. It is true that McCain has never accepted or written an earmark, but maybe Obama will be different as well. Let us check....for fiscal year 2007, according to the Obama website, he requested in earmark appropriations a mere.....$321.7 MILLION dollars. Fiscal 2007, wasn't that his first year in office? For all his time in the Senate, he has requested over $1.0 BILLION in earmarks. Yes, he will represent change......maybe his socks. But as for spending and pork, just more of the same.— tom - wilmington, de
- Obama is running invitation only town meetings. While criticizing McCain for warning lobbyist that change is coming, he wondered if McCain was going to tell his campaign manager that message. I guess he will also have to call Joe Biden's son, as well as Harry Reid's sons, Diane Feinstein's husband, etc etc etc.— tom - wilmington, de
- In the link to your article on "Realclearpolitics.com" this is listed as "Is Palin Ready for the Big Leagues." I would propose an alternate question, "Is Barak Hussein Obama even ready for the minor leagues?" I can think of a few questions for him as well such as the nature of his relationship with his mentor Frank in Hawaii who was a communist or why he chose to seek the blessing of an unrepentant American terrorist (Weatherman) William Ayers, or again, how can he with a straight face say that Jeremiah Wright was not the man he knew for 20 years and in whose church he had sat. What is his relationship to Looney Louis Farakhan? Why do the likes of Hugo Chavez, Castro, Ahmedinijad and Hamas favor him? It seems to me that they would only favor him if he appears to favor their view. If you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.— gfsomsel
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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