From Hot to Shot
Gov. Palin sits down with
Charlie Gibson
Wow, what a difference a couple of weeks and a couple of interviews can make. Throw in a skit from Saturday Night Live and you might as well stick a fork in it and call it done. I'm talking, of course, about Sarah Palin's short lived Superwoman whirlwind phenomenon. Anyone can sound confident and reassuring when a well written script is placed in front of them. Rehearse when and where to peak your volume and when to pause and you can come out looking and sounding like a great leader. I guess this is what happened during Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention.
Put her in a one on one setting and its a whole other case. Now, lets be fair. This is a Governor of a State, so she must have some experience with interviewing and dealing with tough political questions. But this is where real experience comes in. Experience with Foreign affairs, experience with diplomacy and even experience with B-S-ing. If you don't know how to answer a question or you want to evade a question, you have to know how to B. S. your way out of it. Seasoned politicians know how to wing it, and know how to come out looking astute even if you don't have all of the answers. (Hillary Clinton used to throw her head back in a robust laugh when she wanted to avoid a question, and you had no choice but to laugh along with her. After she had some time to think about it, during the laugh, she would come back with something smart and acceptable.)
I have to say Gov. Palin stunk in this area. It was painful and embarrassing to watch as she tried to muddle through some of Katie Couric's questions. And, these were reasonable questions that should be asked of a Vice Presidential Nominee. These are not really questions out of left field. "Have you met with any foreign officials or were you ever involved in any negotiations with a foreign Minister." No Sarah, being able to see Russia from your state does not count as an answer. How could they even think about possibly sending her to represent America in negotiations on an international front? I believe that would be an embarrassment.
What's even more annoying is Political pundits making excuses for her. "It was a bad idea to lock her away from the media for a whole month." "It made her nervous and she is not acting like herself, " they said. Get real. If you have something substantial to say, and you were not allowed to talk to the media for a month, and you finally got the opportunity; then this is your chance to prove them wrong and show your colors. Well, she did not prove them wrong. She did quiet poorly. Lets see how she does during the V. P. Nominee Debate this week.
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