From one of John Cole's commenters, over at Balloon Juice:

"I’m still in shock over how terrible the Palin/Couric interview was. “Train wreck” is being charitable – it was more like a train derailing on a bridge, tumbling a thousand feet into a canyon and landing on a pile of old dynamite and gas drums. And then a jumbo jet crashed into the flaming wreckage. Followed by an earthquake that caused the whole mess to slide off a cliff into the sea, where the few miraculous survivors were eaten by sharks."

The interview reminds me of that popular toddler wheel toy, where you pull the string and if the arrow lands on a picture of a cow, it goes "MOOOO."

Conflict of Interest: OUTSIIIIIDERRRRR
Deregulation: MAAAAVERICKKKK
Reputation: TRAAAACK RECORDDDDDD
Bailout: BIIIIIPARTISANNNNNNN
Personality: LIIIIIPSTICKKKKKKKK

I think I just came up with the product that will win me the Google prize...

Yeah, I think she should postpone further interviews, but not for the reasons you suggest. I think she did fine here, in this battle between the beauty and the beast.

Couric is a spiteful shrew and hag. She deserved to be slapped hard for her schoolmarmish remark "I'm gonna ask you one more time." Or let me correct myself and strike schoolmarmish: kindergarten teacherish is the better term.

The double standards here are astonishing. Couric would not dream of interviewing Palin like this if Palin were a liberal. Nobody has interviewed Clinton like this. Or Biden. Or Obama. And everything the woman says and does is spun in the most negative way to score brownie points in certain social circles.

So it's just a no-win situation for governor Palin. Particularly as she isn't yet slick and cynical enough to just blow off the buffoonish 'journalists'. Her final answer "I'll have to look that up" came closest.

To compare, see Reagan as governor (start at 4.30). If you listen carefully you'll hear he even messes up by saying "nation" instead of "world". Shock, horror. Now imagine the press response if Palin had said the exact same words in the exact same way as Reagan answers this question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxw9PX_aoHE

So, Daniel, before you put up another exasperated Palin post I'd like to hear your views on Obama's connection to Ayers, Rezko and the Chicago political machine; his complete lack of foreign policy experience; his lack of senatorial accomplishments; his inability to say anything that does not include forty million "uhs" interspersed with hot air; his lack of executive accomplishments; his lack of leadership (voting present), etc etc.

As for Biden: the man is such a clown that somehow he's gotten a pass for being a clown. What is that all about? The man should replace Letterman. His executive experience is riding the train to Delaware. Why don't you write about that? Why this obsession with Sarah Palin? Why the exclusive focus on her? Why does she have to clear a bar that the Democrat's presidential candidate does not?

Dr. Jones, what are you talking about? You used so many words, yet said so little of value.

Ah, Mr Porter,

If I said little of value, then that is what I must have been talking about. Go ahead, think about it. Good luck!

Dr. Jones,

I don't really know why you defend Palin.
Maybe you are right, that Couric would not have interviewed a "liberal" that way, or maybe she also wouldn't have interviewed a man that way. But Palin tried to wriggle out of every question and basically said nothing. "Americans are waiting for what McCain does"?? She waits to see what he does. She clearly has no idea of any of the issues asked and obviously did not even read a newspaper about the issue.

Daniel, I really enjoy your little Palin posts, please keep us posted.

Dr Jones,
I wonder if perhaps you watched that segment with the sound off. Because with the sound on, Palin did awful. When asked questions about specifics, all she could do is speak in general talking points. When asked for more information in follow ups, all she could do is repeat those initial talking points.

My initial read on Palin was that she was a smart lady in over her head due to inexperience. I now am questioning the first part of that take.

@ Stefan and Angus

Of course Palin speaks in general terms on these issues. McCain wants to keep his options open. Her job is to cover him. No more, no less.

It's not her task to spell out specific policy proposals, let alone proposals in an area in which she is not an expert.

If she'd started yakking off about all sorts of details she would have contradicted either McCain or some respected economist (because respected economists are all over the place on this crisis issue). *That* would have been a disaster. Biden, of course, keeps contradicting Obama on a regular basis, but outside the McCain campaign (check their recent ad) nobody seems to care. That's the double standard I mentioned.

A savvy politician knows how to waffle. I hope that's not news. Gee, I remember a President who saw it fit to ask what the definition of 'is' was. Yes, he must have been univerally regarded as dumb. Oh, wait...

The appeal of Sarah Palin is not that she gives great interviews (she's had, what, a month to get up to speed now?). It is that she has actually *accomplished* things in her political career that people find appealing. The ethics reforms, taking on members of her own party, etc, etc etc. As a bonus, she seems to act according to her principles, which most people agree is a rare thing in politics. She also gives good speeches, which any Obama supporter should respect.

On the plus side, when Couric pressed the point on bad decisions by consumers, Palin said 'yes by consumers' ... and then switched to the usual political palaver about 'predatory lenders.' That to me is the essence of the woman ... she didn't avoid what was something that was potentially politically damaging.

Now to her critics, what, specifically, is the disaster here? Just being snarky or shouting 'disaster! trainwreck!, doesn't make it so'. Politicians repeat talking points -- every politician does it. She paused a little longer than I would care between repeating her talking about the Freddie Mac lobbiest. This seems to me a very sticky issue not only in political but legal terms, and I personally am glad she took her time. But of course the pubic is used to politicians spit out answers without thinking.

Meanwhile, on the other side, that son of the Welsh coal fields Joe Biden believes Americans gathered round their televisions to watch FDR's fireside chats in 1929.

Dr. Jones, your hypothetical concerning what the media might do if Sarah Palin contradicts McCain does not constitute a double standard. If she does contradict McCain, and there's more of a fuss made about that than there was regarding Biden's slips, then there's a double standard. But in the real world, you don't get to make up a story and then point to it as evidence.

As it happens, she contradicted McCain on Pakistan policy early this month -- she said you needed to pursue terrorists wherever they were when asked about Al Qaeda in Pakistan, whereas McCain had criticized Obama for holding that position. It got a little press, but it didn't get more press than Biden's gotten recently for his clean coal comments.

So no; there is no double standard. Not in the real world.

Dr. Jones,

I don't know why you thought Couric should be "slapped hard" for asking a follow-up question. Palin is running for vice-president and this is only the THIRD time that she has spoken to her potential bosses (i.e. voters)since she declared. So, to be fair, I think that people are entitled to hear a few specifics. That also explains why there is such an "obsession". We have no idea who she is. Whatever about Obama's experience, at least we see him get asked questions now and again.

There's no point in whinging that "liberals" would never treat Obama like that etc. If Palin cannot answer basic questions that IS a problem. If I went to a car mechanic with a problem and he just kept saying "it's an engine problem" over and over no matter what I asked, that would be a clear sign that he didn't know his own business. In fact, it wouldn't even matter if a different mechanic from the same garage was the guy who was actually going to work on my car. I might be put off by the entire garage.

Oh, and if you think that Couric was out of line, I take it that you think that Bill O'Reilly is the worst interviewer in the world following his shouty and snarky Obama interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJH2n4aFEhA

Palin's appeal lies in her contrast to Obama. If Obama was not the Democratic nominee, I can't imagine that Palin would be McCain's running mate. An opinion piece in the Edmond Sun today captures this contrast quite well. I'll quote some of the relevant paragraphs.

"When Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to France as ambassador of the United States in 1776, he won the hearts of the French through his authenticity. Rather than take on an affected and phony continental style, Franklin eschewed the powdered wig of the European gentleman and donned the fur cap of an American frontiersman. Original genius and polymath, Franklin understood that the French would see through any false pretension but respect an authenticity that sprang from an unpretentious and naive love of country.

What a contrast there is between Franklin and Barack Obama. Obama is a Harvard lawyer who is a mile wide and an inch deep. He is only the latest in a long line of shallow elites that consider it stylish and intellectual to despise their own culture and heritage...

...When Obama refers to “my Muslim faith,” the verbal gaffe resonates as a Freudian slip because of Obama’s thinly veiled hatred for this country’s unique culture and institutions. Obama sat for 20 years in a church where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr preached “goddamn America.” He only resigned from the congregation when it became politically expedient to do so. When earlier this year, Michelle Obama said “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country,” can we conclude that her husband disagrees? Is it not remarkable that Michelle Obama can be so small-minded as to find nothing in the history of the United States that merits her admiration but the personal success of her husband?

...The choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate has been devastating for the Obama campaign precisely because she is everything Obama is not. Palin is not ashamed of her culture or country. She is not embarrassed by being an American, but naively embraces her birthright. Unassisted by affirmative action, Palin has risen to national prominence on the basis of her character, intelligence and natural gifts. In a word, she has guts. This is a woman who is proud of her country, not because it has granted her personal success, but because she respects what America stands for: freedom, opportunity, and individualism."

Yeah - the press has been so easy on Obama. I guess all that fuss over Rev. Wright, flag pins, patriotism, Bill Ayers, Rezko, Bitter-gate - the liberal press gave him a pass on all that. Meanwhile, last I checked, Palin is good friends with a Kenyan witch-hunter, neither she nor McCain feel the need to wear flag pins, and the media have been quite polite in not bringing up the nastiness of the Keating 5.

"She is not embarrassed by being an American"

No - but her fellow Americans are certainly embarrassed by her.

A) Obama has few ties to the corrupt chicago machine - he largely stayed away from the dirty ways of doing things in Chicago. You are worried about Rezko? what about McCain's ties to lobbyists. They are much more damning than the Rezko thing. An easy, pretty noncontroversial, read: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/09/mccain.lobbying/

C) Obama is sure an elitist - a son of a single mother who worked hard and studied hard. He didn't get into Harvard because of his legacy, he got in DESPITE it. he knows what the ordinary American family goes through, and has the superior intellect required to tackle the problems they face. Do you think McCain, with his 10 cars and 7 houses, who was simply born into privilege then married it, can better understand what it is like for ordinary Americans? Palin, perhaps the most ordinary... lacks the ability to tackle those problems. she may be LIKE you, but that doesn't means she can HELP you. And why don't we want someone exceptional to lead our country. You want someone like you? Well, I don't really know if you are qualified to be president, sorry. I want the leader of my country to be intelligent, a hard worker, well-spoken, and well-mannered... even if i am not.

D) People have a right to question the mental capacity of someone they know very little about, and who could one day be president. they have done that with all candidates, and no candidate has become as defensive as the Palin people over this... which, to me, makes it really important she demonstrate to us that she understands the issues, and can place them contextually and offer some sort of reasoned analysis. Especially when she still supports the war in Iraq, lets God's words guide her actions, tries to censor books, and believes in abstinence-only education. ack. but she has yet to do this! and we are scolded when we ask this of her. scaryyyy.

E) Palin's record of accomplishment, of standing up to the establishment? she said yes to the road to nowhere, needed to hire an "administrator" to help her run a tiny town, and spent tons on lobbyists to get her congressional pork.

I think it is safe to say that the people who support Palin are the people who believe religion has a role in government, and republican women who were going to vote McCain anyway. I think prior to Palin, Republicans supported McCain begrudgingly. With Palin, they have a candidate they can be excited about (whatever turns you on: religion! mother! just like me! non-threatening feminist because she is hot and actually against women's rights!)... the spike for McCain is probably (hopefully) just due to republicans having more enthusiasm about the election than they did before.

Speaking in coherent sentences is over rated. Who does that anymore besides the uppity Obama/Biden ilk? So what if she only remembers four words of her talking points at a time? She strings them together well enough. It's too much to ask that she actually do the mental acrobatics of fitting them into grammatically correct, complete sentences.

I mean really, English is overrated. Sarah Palin speaks American.

How did Palin do? Well, let's take this exchange:

Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?

Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.

Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government.

Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?

Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.

Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

Guess, while boning up on her foreign policy skills, Ms. Palin needs to study up on her store of John McCain anecdotes.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/24/media-chronicles/

[duplicate post deleted]

It's her Christianity.

You really don't need any more than that. As I noted on Steve Clemons' blog the other day, a lot of the Eastern academic/policy wonk types just don't get how important religion can be to a large segment of the electorate. Maybe they know some poll numbers, but in their gut they don't get it.

I'm one of those elites now too, I guess, but grew up in the suburban hinterland out west with plenty of religious relatives and neighbors.

Their voting decisions often come down to just one question: "Who is the best Christian?"

That's it. Who's the best Christian. That's all that's relevant. And no I didn't grow up in a cultish compound somewhere; get out of the urban oases and you'll find that's a significant slice of America.

It's on that "who's the best Christian?" basis that Jimmy Carter made real inroads among them in 1976 -- we forget now that Carter, not Ford, was the born again bible waver that year.

While my particular family members wouldn't want to attend as charismatic a sect as Assembly of God -- they prefer strict but sedate churches -- the fact (or really good act) that her evangelical Christianity is so central to Palin's life would make them ecstatic. Much more so than for a Republican who takes the right stands on social issues but isn't terribly "churchy" (e.g., Ronald Reagan).

Oh god. I just saw it. I couldn't stop squirming for how much it hurt to watch this.

She could be President...

Seriously, I can imagine several metropolitan areas looking at that whole USSR to CIS transition as an interesting model.

That’s it. Who’s the best Christian. That’s all that’s relevant.

Have you ever noticed that people who Christianize politics subscribe to a much different version of the religion than people who merely live their faith and don't demand that candidates pass religious tests?

Get out of the urban oases and you’ll find that’s a significant slice of America.

Well, sure, and that's why there's a long history of young people fleeing to 'the urban oases' as soon as they can!

Did someone really just refer to Palin as "savy"? What part of "as Putin rears his head" is savy??? She's not savy-- savy implies that she has something to say but is being intentionally obtuse. Palin speaks like a 7th grader giving a book report in front of the class but didn't read the book. She's winging it and winging it very badly. I am actually embarassed for her when she speaks.

Is your tongue bright red? It must be from drinking so much GOP kool-aid.

Palin is an embarassment to all women who genuinely care about American politics.