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Grabbing a Cheesesteak in South Philly, Palin Opines on Pakistan -- But Does She Contradict McCain Policy?
September 28, 2008 11:47 AM
Saturday night in Mo-town Philly, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin found herself at Tony Luke’s on Oregon Avenue.
“It’s Tina Fey!” shouted a bystander as Palin and her daughter Willow walked in.
According to the pool report, one Philadelphian asked Palin, as she stood in the line, if she'd heard from her son Track.
“No," Palin said. "I can’t wait to hear from him. I’ll track him down today.”
A reporter asked if she'd watched Friday night's presidential debate.
“I did, I did," she said. "Oh. McCain did awesome. He was great. He was absolutely on his game.”
Is she ready for her Thursday night debate with Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.?
“I am," Palin said. "Look forward to it. Look forward to getting to speak to Americans through that debate, absolutely.”
At the counter, Palin ordered two cheesesteaks, whiz and onions. The woman at the counter asked the governor's name.
Palin paused.
“Sarah,” she finally said.
The woman laughed. The joke being, apparently, that everyone knew her name already.
“That’s priceless,” said a guy in the kitchen.
**
As Palin was glad handling, a man named Michael Rovito, wearing a Temple University t-shirt, approached Palin
“How about the Pakistan situation?" he asked her. "What’s your thoughts about that.”
“In Pakistan?” she asked.
“What’s going on over there," Rovito said, "like Waziristian?”
“It’s working with Zardari to make sure that we’re all working together to stop the guys from coming in over the border," Palin responded. "And we’ll go from there.”
“Waziristan is blowing up!” exclaimed Rovito.
“Yeah it is," said Palin, "and the economy there is blowing up too.”
“So we do cross the border," he asked, "like from Afghanistan to Pakistan, you think?”
“If that’s what we have to do stop the terrorists from coming any further in," she said, "absolutely, we should.”
**
Today on This Week, George Stephanopoulos asked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., if what Palin said in any way contradicted McCain's criticism of Obama for saying aloud that -- if given actionable intelligence about high-level al Qaeda targets in Pakistan -- the U.S. should strike at targets within Pakistan with or without that government's permission.
"That seems very similar," George said after playing the Palin quote. "She's asked, 'Do we have to cross the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan?' She says, 'If that's what we have to do stop the terrorists from coming any further in, absolutely, we should.'"
McCain said that Palin "shares my view that we will do whatever is necessary. The problem is, you don't announce it. You don't -- you don't say to the Pakistanis, 'We're coming in unilaterally and carry out operations.' Teddy Roosevelt, speak softly but carry a big stick. She shares my view on that. That's just -- that's fundamentals of knowledge and maturity and judgment."
"But she did say there right there we should go in," George said.
"She was in a conversation with some young man that -- or whoever it was," McCain said. "She understands and has stated repeatedly that we're not going to do anything except in America's national security interest and we are not going to, quote, 'announce it ahead of time.' That is -- the important part of it is that you do what you have to do, working with these countries, but to announce you're going to attack another country is not a mature way to address the issue."
George asked if Palin shouldn't have said that.
"She did fine," McCain said. "She did just fine….This business of, in all due respect, people going around and -- with sticking a microphone while conversations are being held, and then all of a sudden that's -- that's a person's position, this is a free country, but I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitive policy statement made by Governor Palin. And I would hope you wouldn't, either."
-- jpt
September 28, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (79)
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I think Amerticans have to realize and accept the fact that Sarah Palin is McvCain's running mate because of looks, not smarts! She is a provincial governor who has never travelled abroad and is ignorant as to the foreign cultures. She needs to go back to Alaska her comfort zone! and be replaced by a knowledgable candidate!
Posted by: Barbara shearing | Sep 30, 2008 4:52:48 PM
Want to be a journalist? You don’t need a degree. You don’t have to work for a newspaper or magazine. You needn't be employed by television or radio. Apparently all you need to do is ask Sarah Palin a question or two in a public setting. Easy as that, it’s “Gotcha journalism” according to McCain & Palin.
Posted by: Deeva | Sep 30, 2008 6:14:36 AM
Hey, can someone let me know what the format is for Thursday. How is this debate set up?
Posted by: Dem-4-Life | Sep 29, 2008 11:35:15 AM
Hey! We have a braclet, too!!
Obams/Biden '08
Posted by: Leroy | Sep 29, 2008 11:04:16 AM
Sounds like Obama stole his talking points from the "Bush" doctrine. Preemptive strike, etc....
Posted by: Jim | Sep 28, 2008 10:49:36 PM
A middle-class American can not lose in this election.
In case repubs win, we have 4 more years of Bushisms, this time from the VP. It is a win-win situation.
Posted by: Pat | Sep 28, 2008 8:43:47 PM
young_voter says :"Biden has done 100 interviews since becoming a VP candidate; Palin only 3. It seems like Obama has chosen talk over action again."
Sure she acted, that stuff has become the fodder for SNL.
But if you are talking about some other action, what is it that she has done and Biden did not do in this campaign so far
Posted by: Pat | Sep 28, 2008 8:34:50 PM
MayBee,
Of course she contradicted McCain. McCain said we should not reveal ahead of time and she did.
Posted by: Pat | Sep 28, 2008 8:31:18 PM
They have already changed the rules of the debate...because she is inexperienced....maybe her questions should be multiple choice?
Posted by: Bubba | Sep 28, 2008 7:51:34 PM
Maybe they should ask her the questions today...so she can come up with an answer by Thursday?
Posted by: Bubba | Sep 28, 2008 7:47:04 PM
More "Shuck and Jive" politics from Obama.
McCain - Palin - Leadership you can trust, change you can depend on.
Posted by: SensibleFella | Sep 28, 2008 7:29:04 PM
How dare they put a microphone in her face and ask her opinion before she has to a chance to run it by Rove. How can she be expected to give her opinion w/o putting it through the filter of republican operatives. um.... none of the republicans come outta this one looking good...
Posted by: dem in chicago | Sep 28, 2008 6:44:42 PM
This is so confusing...
Pre-Palin...we just had to wonder which Johnny Mac would show up for work.
Now we have Sistah Sarah contradicting both McCains...and herself...What a trainwreck
Posted by: Bubba | Sep 28, 2008 5:14:24 PM
Palin/Obama are right. I mean every major terrorist activity has links to Pakistan. Every jehadi has done his time in Pakistani terror camp. Yet, the republicans seem to think Pakistan should not be bombed? Why should Pakistan be protected? So that war on terror continues for ever? Or to make a museum out of terror infrastructure for the years to come? McCain may have spent a lot of time in Waziristan(So have many terrorist idiots). That doesn't make McCain smart.
Posted by: Narayanan | Sep 28, 2008 4:35:34 PM
Unfortunately Ryan I will not even grace your assummption with a response. I am still a Hillary supporter.I merely told the truth!
Posted by: AnneC | Sep 28, 2008 4:23:01 PM
Sarah Palin is right,
and Obama is right,
and McCain is wrong.
The American people have suffered through seven years of war. Even just for morale's sake, they need to hear that we are going to take out Osama bin Laden--if we can--no matter who on earth doesn't like it. I don't care if the Paks don't like it or the Russians don't like it or the "Arab Street" doesn't like it.
McCain should make it clear that he and Sarah don't agree on everything (we already know they don't agree on drilling in ANWR). And they'll have more disagreements in the future. In a healthy Administration (unlike the current dysfunctional one), all alternatives are discussed.
As General Patton put it, "When everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking."
Posted by: sinz52 | Sep 28, 2008 3:39:48 PM
AnneC,
Your claims of being a Hillary supporter would ring more truthful if you didn't then rail against Democrats for the rest of your post.
Also what does the shielding of Palin from reporters say about her as a candidate?
Does it say she can't be trusted to answer an off the cuff question?
Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 28, 2008 3:36:45 PM
So let me ask you this maybee, is it ok for McCain to sing about bombing Iran at a fundraiser?
===
I think that was a poor choice.
As much as you may agree or disagree with McCain and Obama about Pakistan, however,
Palin did not contradict McCain.
Posted by: MayBee | Sep 28, 2008 3:31:45 PM
Paige,
Did you ever ask McCain why he chose Sarah Palin? Could it just somehow be that she was more qualified than Obama? When it comes to women, we always think the worse and then wonder why we get treated the way we do! Yet wa always cry for equal treatment. You may just get what you wish for! I am a Hillary supporter for McCain, and I stand behid what I have said. Let someone heckle you and put your scars from Cancer in an ad or someone you love and see how it feels. We all should work to take care of ourselves. With Democrats now everything is built upon doom and gloom which no candidate can save us from and certainly not Obama. All he does is to tell one story after another and none of them ever is positive. The way they treated Hillary was shameless, yet we as women support the very candidate who helped to sham her! You may very well get Obama whom no one can disagree with. He completely destroyed the meeting at the White House when given a leadership role. It was the democrats who got us in this state. Typical democrat Obama-Go out on the campaign trail and beg for more money while the country is in a financial crisis. Great President!
Posted by: AnneC | Sep 28, 2008 3:25:08 PM
"Obama won't even say he is willing to draw up military plans against *Iran*. Yet he'll say it about Pakistan."
What military plans has Obama drawn up for Pakistan?
He stated in a debate that if we have actionable intelligence about Bin Laden in Pakistan and Pakistan fails to act that we will. Ryan
Or did you make that up like most right wingers do?
So let me ask you this maybee, is it ok for McCain to sing about bombing Iran at a fundraiser?
Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 28, 2008 3:19:13 PM
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