KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is happy to discuss her views on social issues like abortion and homosexuality, but reluctant to list what she usually reads to keep up on world events.
That’s the takeout from a series of interviews the Alaska governor did with CBS anchor Katie Couric, which aired on Tuesday night.
Palin, whose opposition to abortion rights has ignited support among social conservatives, some of whom were wary of presidential nominee John McCain, discussed whether rape or incest victims should be allowed to have an abortion.
“Personally, I would counsel the person to choose life, despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in,” she said. “If you’re asking, though, kind of foundationally here, should anyone end up in jail for having an … abortion, absolutely not.”
When asked about her views on homosexuality, Palin talked about a close friend who is gay.
“One of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years happens to be gay, and I love her dearly,” Palin said. “She is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice I would have made. But I am not going to judge people.”
Palin has faced criticism for lacking experience in foreign policy. Before becoming governor some two years ago she was the mayor of a small town.
Couric asked Palin what newspapers and magazines she read regularly before becoming McCain’s running mate “to stay informed and to understand the world.”
Here is her response, according to a transcript provided by CBS:
Palin: I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
Couric: What, specifically?
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.
Couric: Can you name a few?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn’t a foreign country, where it’s kind of suggested, “Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?” Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Stephen Mally
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There must be at least a hundred intelligent, articulate, educated, well informed, and competent women out there who are actually, factually and practically qualified to be VP.
- Posted by Raffy KrikorianDesperate to prove his maverickness he turns down all of the “logical” choices and chooses Palin. It is just unfair for him to put the smaller percentage of the intelligent and honest people in his party in this position where they have to either give this woman a phony endorsement which means they are trying to sell to you and me a product they themselves would not buy or they must exercise their honest judgment and call this choice a blunder putting themselves at odds with this ticket. This is an unfair and unnecessary burden. John McCain it time for you to live up
to your “straight talk” gimmick and stop humiliating Americans with this dumb choice.
Why didn’t she just say The Bible?
She is really pretty and feisty too!!
WE LOVE YOU SARAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!
- Posted by MarvinThank God Americans with sense will not be voting fo the thief of Illinois.
- Posted by tammyI think that katie is biast and I will not watch her anymore
- Posted by tammyI really think that Palin is either crazy or an egomanic. I am an intelligent woman with a masters degree in education, but I know, I would never assume I could run this wonderful, but very complex country. This is coming from a person who has worked in inner-city schools, in early education and in special education. However, I understand that to take on the responsibility of VP, I would need to be more then what I am. She is not capable and is not credible enough to even run a state, quite frankly. It was a sad day when McSame pick Ms. Pain.
- Posted by andslatCrossing one’s heart during the national anthem is not required, nor has it always been in practice. This is only a recent convention developed by the hard right. Wearing the flag as a form of jewelry is actually inappropriate. If you will check your flag etiquette, it is disrespectful to wear the American Flag in any form on one’s person.
If McCain were an American first, as you say, he would have chosen a qualified running mate since he is a 72 year old six time cancer victim instead of Governor Palin who is obviously not qualified—read Conservative columnists George Will and Kathleen Parker if you disagree.
- Posted by Kathleen“She is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice I would have made. But I am not going to judge people.”
“Choice”?
- Posted by joeThis is to all you rebuplican haters, you will hate on anything or anyone who stands for the moral right. you think that sarah palin is an idiot, she is down to earth, something that we need in a politician, she is an american first. please tell me when obama became an american first? he would not cross his heart on the national anthem, just started wearing the lapet pin of the flag, weak democratic white house will lead to the security risk for this country. without this country being secure, nothing else will matter. all you left wing freaks screamed for help after 9-11, you will not want to live through that again, the left wing of this country makes me ILL!!!!
- Posted by true patriotI understood Governor Palin’s response as not wanting to publicly endorse the newspapers she reads or doesn’t read. Of course, she stays informed, but whatever she says about reading or not reading certain papers will be be used as political spin. With onlne news articles, how many people always read an actual newspaper anyway? If this is a sign of ignorance, then Joe Biden’s comments (just let him open his mouth) would cast him as a complete moron.
- Posted by Brandon SasserDude, I hope you choose Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia or Iran to live when J. McCain and Sarah Palin enters the whitehouse to govern the country with integrity.
- Posted by donsemshe’s a turnip
- Posted by mavis“While I don’t tote around copies of the Post and Times with me, I do read the content on their respective web editions. I read US News and World Report. I also read my local paper, the Alaskan and occasionally pick up other local papers (with their AP and Reuters articles) and the Wall Street Journal’s Opinion page.”-What Sarah could have answered.
Wouldn’t you want someone as VP who could put together SOME sort of answer to that question? Her answer begs the question; does she read the news AT ALL?
- Posted by BobEvery comment against Mrs. palin is absolutely jealousy. If the question was directed to a democrat, the answer would be, “It’s not your business what I read”. So why picking on her? The next question would be which soap she bath with, which perfume she likes, which car she drives, etc. There are so many journalists and commentators that would like to make an issue out of nothing. Shame on you, so, instead support her as VP and give her the chance. She will demonstrate herself and will give the people of America as McCain running mate a solution to its problems.
- Posted by donsemPolitical Math 101:
Obama = Palin
McCain = Biden
Therefore:
Republicans = Democrats
And thus:
Future = Doom
Which validates against the known truth:
All things that rise will fall, including nations, societies, and governments.
All you Obaminates and McCainiacs out there who love marching in lockstep, consider a remedial course in arithmetic in your offtime.
- Posted by russ in PAThis Palin situation would be comical if it wasn’t so frightening. Americans actually think a person with no discernible communication skills (except for a certain warm fuzziness, with flashes of scorn) is qualified to do anything important? That she could step up to be POTUS?
How in heck did she graduate with a college degree?
She must have read SOMETHING, even if it was online news. Can’t she think on her feet (or sitting in a chair)?
Say McCain is elected and dies. Say Palin has to lead and inspire the American people through a Big Crisis of any kind. What will she say? Nothing? Evasions? Fractured thoughts, platitudes, slogans?
Now we know why the Republican party can only threaten foreign powers, bomb them, and invade them. No wonder Palin and her ilk don’t want to negotiate with foreign leaders. They can’t!
It’s that old punitive, vengeful worldview, exacerbated by a lack of spoken communication skills. It might work in the short term on a playground, where the players are 10 years old, but in the complex real world of international politics, bluster and outright acts of destruction get us nowhere.
- Posted by RobertI just posted a comment that was apparently no PC enough for the moderator. Was it my suppor of the McCain/Palin ticket or the fact that I reminded you that Barack’s middle name is HUSSEIN? Either way, it just shows the bias of your so called “news service”.
- Posted by RobYou know what?
- Posted by SpeedReaderI’m reeeeeeaaaaaaaaallly impressed!
She said that she reads “all of them”
Do you know how many newspapers there are in America alone?
If she is able to read ALL OF THEM then she must be a freaking genius! Genius!
Remember: it was lies and inept and arrogant governance with Bush that got us into the Iraq War and deregulation of the financial markets, both resulting in vast financial and personal loss for Americans and worldwide!
“Thanks but not thanks!”
McCain and Palin have been proven mutiple, multiple times to provide blatant misinformation in speeches and adds. How will our country and world suvive information that is known to them alone, with which they make their decisions, but given to the public in inaccurate ways? Dangerous.
“Thanks but not thanks!”
McCain choose a whooly inexperienced, undereducated VP/likely successor as president if he becomes incompacitated in any way. How will he choose his cabinet and other positions that the public cannot vet in any way.
“Thanks but not thanks!”
The world view of the “maveriks” seems haughty and arrogant–not appealing to the goodness and wholeness of humanity that wants life and needs to work together.
“Thanks but not thanks!”
McCain/Palin–a danger to our country and world.
- Posted by Alaskan against McCain/Palin“Thanks but not thanks!”
Palin, absolutely ridiculous. A bad joke. For instance, her belief in “Pro Life” as she says she’s a true believer of and will not apologize for it. Then you see Sarah with the moose/deer that she shot and killed and is having a video/photo taken of her and one other guy in the photo and the dead animal. Sarah is all smiling that she’s the one that killed this poor animal.
- Posted by KathyNow ask her if she’s ONLY “Pro Life” for humans, and not for animals. I don’t see her starving so she’s not killing the animal to survive. Why is she killing these animals? What a contradiction… that “PRO LIFE” should mean for anything with a heart beat.
No one has brought this up of her contradiction to this subject. Why not? I picked up on that as soon as I saw her with the dead animal.. Stating I thought she was PRO LIFE!
Then… there’s the issue of homosexuality. She states: “She is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice I would have made. But I am not going to judge people.”
Made a choice? According to homosexuals, it’s not a choice. You are born with not feeling right playing the role of the gender you’re given. Oh Sarah…. bad move on your part (again) of “foot in mouth”.
Hey Sarah.. here’s a suggestion… when someone asks you a question. Use the “yes” or “no” answer. You won’t sound as dumb as you do when you make your answer into a paragraph.
Oh dear me. Well, it just goes to show how ridiculous McBush is to have selected her in the first place to run with him. I truly believe that with Obama winning over Clinton, that McCain (McBush) thought.. I’d better do something here to get people’s attention, hey! I’ll grab a minority to be my running mate! Hey a woman! Come on Palin.. you’re running with me… now smile for the cameras! Look smart, but try not to say anything!
Oh dear! Now he’s having to sit next to Palin in the Katie Couric interviews as if he’s her lawyer and jumping in when there’s a question that’s over her head (well they all are actually).
This is the biggest joke ever! Can’t you all see this? Now.. this time around if the republicans (with who’s running this time) win this… you HAVE TO SEE IT’S BEEN FIXED ………AGAIN!
Absolutely fricken ridiculous!
Fails to fit the mold? Bobby… come on! She’s being given a chance to give some smart answers. I’ve heard none so far. Would we rather be “lied to”? This whole republican thing is a lie. No.. I’m sick of being lied to, but placing someone in the light that is just plain can’t answer the questions with a yes or no after repeatedly being asked, or makes a paragraph of her answer and STILL there really isn’t an answer, well, I don’t want that person running the country. We’ve already had that. You can always tell when Bush has to come up with his own answers, because his words change and he fumbles his sentences, like he’s screaming “help me” through his ear piece. This administration we’ve had for the past 8 years has made a disaster of our country. It’s time to put a different class in the seat. I’m not absolutely crazy about Obama either.. but there is NO WAY McBush should win. He’s just a continuance of what’s been happening.
- Posted by Kathy Immel