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December 2, 2008 8:22:35 PM CST



Palin Stumbled in Interview, But Made No Big Mistakes

Posted Sep 12, 08 1:45 PM CDT in Opinion Politics 

(Newser) – How did Sarah Palin do in her much-awaited interview with Charlie Gibson? Everyone’s got an opinion:

  • Palin “looked like a student trying to bend prepared answers to fit unexpected questions,” offering statements far too general for Gibson’s liking, writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times.
  • Kenneth Baer of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas agrees, saying Palin looked like a “political consultant’s dream, but a citizen’s nightmare,” thanks to her astonishing ability to “parrot back talking points.”

  • Palin was light on substance, writes Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post, but even her detractors must admit she “handled herself well for someone who three years ago was worried about the books in the Wasilla library.”
  • Jonah Goldberg, in the National Review, thinks Palin should have dodged more questions, because that’s what responsible foreign-policy experts often do. He expects her performance to improve “once she figures out how this game is played.”

Sources New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, National Review

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In this image released by ABC, ABC News anchor Charles Gibson talks to Sarah Palin in Fairbanks, Alaska in an interview, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/ABC, Donna Svennik)
In this image released by ABC, ABC News anchor Charles Gibson talks to Sarah Palin in Fairbanks, Alaska in an interview, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/ABC, Donna Svennik)
This photo provided by ABC News shows Charles Gibson talking to Sarah Palin, Thursday, Sept. 11,2008, in Fairbanks, Alaska   (AP Photo/ABC News, Donna Svennevik)
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Sarah Palin stumbles on a question about the Bush doctrine.   (1stAmendmentVoter)

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At times, her eyes looked uncertain and her voice hesitated, and she looked like a student trying to bend prepared answers to fit unexpected questions. - Alessandra Stanley

Mr. Gibson had the skeptical, annoyed tone of a university president who agrees to interview the daughter of a trustee but doesn’t believe she merits admission. - Alessandra Stanley

Sarah Palin proved herself to be a political consultant's dream, but a citizen's nightmare. Her ability to parrot back talking points verbatim over and over again is astounding. - Kenneth Baer

On a one to ten scale, with ten being perfect, I’d rate her a 6 on this interview, a 9 as a VP pick, and an 11 on driving the Democrats nuts. - Whit Ayers, Republican strategist

She seemed a bit nervous and offered some phrasing that will cause the people who already hate her irrationally to irrationally hate her
some more. - Jonah Goldberg

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