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The Charlie Gibson-Palin interview

Well, the big interview is over...in some ways I am less concerned about Palin...but mostly I feel the way I did before. Some highlights:

Positive
  • She got through it without any major gaffes. To be honest, this was the main goal.
  • Although she wasn't stellar, she showed her ability to think on her feet when given an unexpected question. Sometimes it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't a bloodbath.
  • She was able to pivot the question on "task from God" to pride in her son nicely. It didn't hurt that attention has been paid to how Charlie Gibson twisted her words.

Negative

  • She seemed nervous and tentative. She didn't seem nearly as confident as when giving a speech -- and, let's be honest, did not seem as "Presidential" as Obama.
  • The foreign policy answers seemed rehearsed and wooden. I didn't at all get the feeling the words were coming from her. Even if you're being coached, you need to find a way to translate the information into words that are "yours". She didn't do that, and seemed uninformed.
  • Her earmark answers seemed "politiciany". I felt this was her weakest area. Gibson pointed out that even as Governor, she has accepted hundreds of millions in earmarks...and she didn't have a good answer. I do think this hurts her credibility as a pristine reformer.

All in All...

I'd give her about a B-. It wasn't great, but she passed. The things I worry about most (she's uninformed, she lacks the ability to go toe-to-toe with congressmen or world leaders), I'm still worried about.

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