In ABC Interview, Palin Seen As Struggling With Foreign Policy

In ABC Interview, Palin Seen As Struggling With Foreign Policy
Friday, September 12, 2008
CAMPAIGN NEWS US News and World Report

While the presidential campaign's back and forth was largely suspended on Thursday's anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, ABC World News used the occasion to run extended excerpts of Charles Gibson's exclusive interview with Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin, her first televised interview since coming on the national stage. ABC ran 10 minutes of the interview at the top of its broadcast, and another 2 1/2 minutes at the close.

Reviews of her performance tend to be more negative than positive, with a focus on her labored efforts to deal with foreign policy questions. The AP says Palin "struggled with foreign policy, unable to describe President Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against threatening nations and acknowledging she's never met a foreign head of state." The Chicago Tribune also notes Palin "seemed unfamiliar with the 'Bush doctrine,' which says the United States does not need to wait to be attacked before going to war." The New York Times says in "choosing Mr. Gibson as Ms. Palin's interlocutor, the campaign was going with a journalist known for having a mild manner but the gravitas to be taken seriously. But the interview was hardly gentle." Gibson "expressed exasperation" with Palin, complaining that she "had buried him in 'a blizzard of words.'" The Washington Times reports Gibson "also asked her about her travel experience, and she acknowledged that before a recent trip to Kuwait to visit Alaskan National Guard troops she had only visited Mexico and Canada and had not met personally with any foreign leaders."

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In ABC Interview, Palin Seen As Struggling With Foreign Policy