Sarah Palin Interviewed by a Condescending Charlie Gibson

Governor Sarah Palin granted her first interview to Charles Gibson and ABC news probably because Charlie has been seen as a fairly fair and balanced interviewer before. That is how I always used to see him. What happened Charlie? The interview so far was certainly not the Gibson I have seen before, even with those with whom he does not agree. What I witnessed was rudeness and a condescending attitude.

Did Governor Palin skirt some of the issues in her answers? Absolutely, that seems to be what political candidates do. Gibson asked the Governor if she believed she was experienced enough and qualified to be the Vice President. She answered yes, absolutely with no hesitation. He asked again, and again. Did he not understand her answer the first or second time? Similarly in an interview with Barack Obama earlier this year, Gibson told the Senator that others have said he was not experienced enough and asked what his answer to that was. Obama answered he believed he was, and that was that. Gibson dropped the questioning of Obama's experience, which is something that seems to be continuously dropped in the main stream media (MSM). Is the experience of the number one man on the Democratic ticket not as important as the experience of the number two woman on the Republican ticket? Why or why not? When Palin concludes with her belief that she is definitely experienced enough, Gibson claims that it takes some "hubris". Why not say this to Obama?

Further in the interview Gibson clearly gets his facts wrong in questioning Palin about a statement she made to her church congregation. He says to her that she said sending our men and women to Iraq was a "task from God". She says she doesn't believe that was her exact quote and he states quickly "exact words". Well, not exactly Mr. Gibson. Her entire statement was in the form of a prayer (certainly you have heard prayers before sir?) that she hoped this was what God wanted done. Basically it was praying that whatever the leaders and the men and women in uniform did would be guided by God. It's common to pray that way, it is not a statement that she believed it was ordained by God. Misleading interview "exact words" taken out of context ala Michael Moore sir? I would have thought that type of interview was beneath Charles Gibson. What a shame.

What exactly is the "Bush Doctrine" by the way? I've heard it referenced, liberals and conservatives alike refer to it as if it was a written document. Gibson acts as if she's is stupid when she asks him to clarify what exactly he wants answered. She was exactly right in questioning that. There is not an exact Bush Doctrine that everyone agrees upon, why get caught up in an interviewers idea of it?

When he asks her about Israel and Iran and what she would do if Israel felt the need to protect itself from Iran, she answers him that she would not second guess Israel in their right to protect themselves. He questions he answer three times, increasingly sounding frustrated and then saying he was caught up in a "blizzard of words" but that she didn't give an answer. Yes she did. She said Israel has the right to decide what they should do to protect their country. Similarly again, he asked pretty much the same question of Obama in an earlier interview this year I believe during Obama's overseas trip. Obama gave an answer that was very much like the answer given by Palin. Is he questioned again by Gibson or accused of "a blizzard of words"? Absolutely not. He drops the question and accepts the answer.

I am seriously amazed over and over again by the bias in the media. Can you all please just start reporting the facts, the straight up facts and not the twisted words and statements? Let the people of America decide what the candidates mean by their statements. Give straight up fair and balanced interviews too. If you are going to ask a question over and over of one candidate and not accept their answer, then certainly it doesn't seem unreasonable to ask you to do the same with the other candidate who gives the same answer.

Of course, maybe I'm just naive.