Rich Lowry: She can, and should, do better

NRO ^ | 9/13/08 | Rich Lowry

[ajwharton]

My take (and I didn't see the bits that aired on 20/20 or Nightline last night, although I read the transcript) was that she survived. That's all she had to do. Politically, everyone was grading her on a pass/fail, and she passed. No gaffes, not that much to fuel damaging follow-on conversation. She's likable even when she's at her least authoritative. Most people, I believe, are rooting for her, and she was helped in the post-game by the incredible scorn directed at her by Charlie Gibson. But this was a merely adequate performance. The foreign-policy session was a white-knuckle affair. She barely got through it and showed no knowledge more than an inch deep. What she did demonstrate was amazing self-possession. She somehow bluffed her way through the Bush doctrine question. Gibson apparently didn't want to go into full "gotcha" territory by asking flat-out if she knew what it is. And then he muddled things further with his dubious definition of it, so she was never truly nailed and there was enough ambiguity there for conservatives to defend her. The fact still remains that she very likely didn't know any of the possible definitions of the Bush doctrine. I can't imagine if Obama had picked Gov. Tim Kaine and he had had a similar moment, conservatives would have rushed to say that the Bush doctrine is just too amorphous and complicated for him to know anything about it. Palin seemed weak on economic and budgetary policy too, talking in the vaguest generalities. She was much better, and positively good, on the social issues—which are dear to her and she's thought about—and anything having to do with her personally or with her record in Alaska. She was magnificent on the Iraq-prayer question. This tends to suggest she'll be as strong on the national issues, once she's truly conversant with them. I hope she got up from the foreign policy session and said to her aides, "Dammit. That wasn't good enough and I'm not letting it happen again. I'm not going to allow myself to be so under-prepared for another high-profile interview again." Of course, she has a tremendous amount of material to master in a short period of time. What she has to do is the equivalent of Charlie Gibson or any of the rest of us having to answer questions about pipeline policy in Alaska on a moment's notice. I understand how we all want to be protective of her—I feel the same impulse—but let's not be patronizing. I believe the truly pro-Palin position is to think she can, should, and will do better than this.

[ajwharton]

He's right on, and I am willing to bet that Sarah herself agrees.

[Cicero]

OK, now let’s have Charlie grill Obama the say way he did Palin.

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Yes, but I doubt she got up and cursed to her aides. She just doesn’t seem like that kind of person.

I am pretty certain that she is a better person than I am.

[j_k_l]

Put all three of the other candidates under the same grilling and let's then we can judge who is ready to lead.

The fact that she is the only one being put on the spot like this is really telling.

[time4good]

My only hope, demand, scream is that someone OTHER than Newsbusters would put out the analysis of how deceitfully Gibson & Co. left out her valid and good answers on different topics. Hannity, given your volume, if you’re lurking, speak up on this on your shows on Monday. It’d be too much to ask for BO’R to do it.

[tips up]

Why is it that as a governor, she should have a deep knowledge and experience in foreign policy? Do US governors conduct foreign policy?

Were these issues with former governors who ran successfully for the presidency (not the VP slot) such as Reagan, Carter, Bush and Clinton? Deploying the national guard is hardly foreign policy experience.

And what foreign policy experience does Obama have? Other than his messiah tour over the summer, what interactions of substance has he had with other countries or leaders?

[aft_lizard]

You should have kept the title Rich Lowry used.

[rvoitier]

She somehow bluffed her way through the Bush doctrine question.

Lowry apparently hasn't read the Krauthammer piece.

[Colonel_Flagg]

The only national journalist I’d trust to interview Hussein in such a fashion would be Brit Hume. Gibson won’t ask a tough question to a socialist like Obama.

[BigBobber]

McCain didn't pick Palin for her foreign policy expertise. He picked her to help shake things up and trim the budget in DC, and for her expertise in domestic energy matters. We all know it will take her a few months to get up to speed on foreign affairs.

Lowry didn't see the 20/20 segments where she was in her comfort zone. She was very, very impressive and showed amazing recall and understanding of the issues in her state. She will be well prepared by the time she debates Plugs. She will be well prepared by Jan. 20 for any issue, foreign or domestic.

[y6162]

“..the incredible scorn directed at her by Charlie Gibson.”

Charlie looked real bad. I hope he pays for his arrogance.

[G.Mason]

Lowry is off base.

" ... She somehow bluffed her way through the Bush doctrine question. Gibson apparently didn't want to go into full "gotcha" territory by asking flat-out if she knew what it is ..."

Just on this statement alone ... most readers have already learned how skewed that interview was, and the rest of concerned voters will know full well by next week.

Americans aren't looking for a godess, simply an honest, intelligent, family oriented American.

We've got one in Sarah Palin.

[Sloth]

Did Bill Clinton receive questioning like this on foreign policy in 1992?

< /rhetorical >

[MindBender26]

He is very wrong.

She did do much better, and ABC edited it out. Suggest review of the posts regarding what ABC edited out.

Also strongly suggest reading the WaPo Krauthammer piece on the Bush Doctrine (Dr. Krauthammer is the man who first used the phrase “Bush Doctrine,”)

[Dawn531]

Hey, it’s not proper around these parts to change titles.

“She Did Fine, but...” is the title at NRO site.

[fooman]

lowery can be such a panty waste...

[Canedawg]

We all want to see our favorite player hit a home run every time they get up to bat. it doesnt always happen that way. She got a base hit and got on base safely during this at-bat, and I expect it will make her a better hitter the next time she has to face someone who is throwing spitballs, curve balls and high hard ones.

BTW here is a good read on the recent Invasion of Wasilla

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/524695.html

[nathanbedford]

We must understand that Palin's appeal is essentially moral and only secondarily political.

Sarah Palin and her baby are living reproaches Barak Obama. Her very being exposes Obama for the mountebank he is. She is the real deal and so transparent that people instantly recognize her to be authentic. He is a sham and her very presence utterly diminishes him on a moral scale. More, are our moral power illuminates the moral power of John McCain. This the left does not understand.

Applying this understanding to the Charlie Gibson interview, Sarah was not harmed at all because there was nothing which fundamentally undermined America's judgment that she is authentic and morally true. It does not matter if Sarah Palin is unsure about the Bush Doctrine-so is most of America-that is not the dimension which bonds her to the people. They want to know that her heart is right and that her mind is clear. They know that no one can foresee the challenges the country will face. They are not putting a fact checker one heartbeat away from the presidency. They are putting a human being with a soul in office. They want someone whose character they can trust, because they know that it is character alone that counts when the phone rings at 3 a.m.

Consider that in the context of Obama's remarks about putting lipstick on a pig. The public knows what he was up to and they don't like it. But worse, it scares them because it betrays something about Obama's character which has ominous shadings at 3 a.m.

[Enterprise]

Palin should have stated her foreign policy to deal with enemies of the United States in terms similar to these and laughed as Gibson wet his pants:

"We're going to hold onto the enemy by the nose, and we're going to kick him in the ass. We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're going to go through him like a .44-calibre bullet enclosed in a .50-calibre sabot through a moose."

[nhwingut]

Exactly... Obama plays a muni course from the front tees, while Palin has to play the tips at Pebble.

And then they compare scores? Absurd!