Sarah Palin/Charles Gibson Interview

I've been so busy working on my new website that I just now took the opportunity to watch this interview in its entirety. (Before, I had seen only excerpts.)

I'll be honest and say that I approached the viewing of this encounter with some trepidation. To put it mildly, I was not pleased when McCain chose Palin over Romney. Having said that and since I am still leaning toward McCain as my candidate, I was hoping to feel good about her.

My review of the interview is mixed. I'd be lying if I said that I'm not uneasy about her obvious lack of expertise/knowledge on foreign policy. It's fairly astonishing that she was unaware of the so-called Bush Doctrine because I (not exactly a political afficionado) was completely aware of it, as it seems any reasonably informed person would be. She also fell a little too easily into the traps Charlie set for her when he asked yes or no questions on policy decisions that were not so black and white (like whether the US should have the right to go into Pakistan with or without that country's permission in order to pursue terrorists). I would rather she had refused, as Hilary often has, to comment on a hypothetical. A question like that has to be placed in context before it can be answered credibly, in my opinion.

It's also clear that she was initially disingenuous about her stance on the "Bridge to Nowhere," and while she managed to put a fairly good face on that in the interview, I would have preferred more candor from the outset. Nor do I like (and this is being a real nit-picker now) the way she occasionally lapsed into folksy language, dropping her "g's" and changing "thinking" to "thinkin'," etc. I'm a great believer in the use of formal language in professional situations. Not that this would be a deal breaker for me, but it did add to the sense of concern I have about her candidacy in general.

Part of me still wants to root for her because maybe she is, despite some of her failings listed above, much of what she appears to be...a "pit-bull" soccer mom...one of "us"...a fighter who is just being "real," wants to shake things up in Washington, and has the gumption/brains to do it. Frankly, I hope she is that person because it would allow me to vote for McCain if I continue moving in that direction after seeing the debates. (One of my complaints against Obama, by the way, is that he has refused to do the town hall meetings that I prefer.) At any rate, my current misgivings are causing me to reserve judgment on Palin and to hope like anything that Biden really goes after her in the debates and she is able to somehow stand up to it and impress me. 

Why do I not just go for Obama? Three main reasons. One, because I'm a believer in more state and less federal government. Two, because I worry about his very liberal background. Three, because he doesn't have enough of a record for me to really feel that I know what he's about. (Same problem I have with Palin, I might add.) Notwithstanding those reservations, it has been a too-rarely experienced pleasure to listen to a political candidate speak intelligently and articulate well. (I also enjoyed this about Hilary.) 

Well, that's it from Granny Sue, still sittin' on the fence in the Golden State.  *sigh*