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Palin's 'Bermuda Triangle' of a Campaign
June 30, 2009 9:17 AM
ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:
In the new Vanity Fair, reporter Todd Purdum takes a long, unflattering look at the state of affairs for Gov. Sarah Palin and her political operation -- and offers a few new details about some of the campaign's more famous missteps.
Purdum writes that Palin urged the McCain campaign to tout a story about a period of time where she and her husband, Todd, didn't have health insurance -- only to have that story shot down by Todd himself as inaccurate.
Palin was "unwilling, or simply unable, to prepare" adequately for her interview with CBS' Katie Couric, Purdum reports. She was spending far more time answering a run-of-the-mill written questionnaire from the Wasilla newspaper, The Frontiersman.
At one point, she became so preoccupied with her standing in Alaska that she convinced campaign strategist Steve Schmidt to conduct a poll of Alaskans -- an idea that was scrubbed by the cash-strapped campaign, according to Purdum.
It appears that Palin, R-Alaska, has few friends left among the political team assigned to her by Sen. John McCain's campaign:
"As Palin has piled misstep on top of misstep, the senior members of McCain's campaign team have undergone a painful odyssey of their own. In recent rounds of long conversations, most made it clear that they suffer a kind of survivor's guilt: they can't quite believe that for two frantic months last fall, caught in a Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be," Purdum writes.
Then there's this judgment: "At least one savvy politician -- Barack Obama -- believed Palin would never have time to get up to speed. He told his aides that it had taken him four months to learn how to be a national candidate, and added, 'I don't care how talented she is, this is really a leap,' " Purdum reports.
June 30, 2009 in Gov. Sarah Palin | Permalink | Share | User Comments (115)
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Why not discuss Obamas failed job stimulus bill and stop with Palin bashing. Jeez
Posted by: jim | Jun 30, 2009 9:50:31 AM
Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be,"
You can always bet Republicans will put there country first.
Not.
Posted by: sharksbreath | Jun 30, 2009 10:14:52 AM
It looks to me that Obama is getting on the job training and has little room to talk. His proposals usually have the opposite effect of what he intended. A sure sign of someone who doesnt have the experience to understand the consequences of his actions.
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 30, 2009 10:17:48 AM
WOW! I didn't know the stimulus has "failed" after only a few months in existence! I do agree though about Barbie. Why beat a dead caribou?
Posted by: js45601 | Jun 30, 2009 10:25:06 AM
It looks to me that Obama is getting on the job training and has little room to talk. His proposals usually have the opposite effect of what he intended. A sure sign of someone who doesnt have the experience to understand the consequences of his actions.
Posted by: Jeff | Jun
************************************
Well said!
Posted by: Julie | Jun 30, 2009 10:29:16 AM
Why doesn't the MSM leave Palin alone? The election is over. Look at your beloved and report on his failures. There are many that are being overlooked.
Posted by: PALGP | Jun 30, 2009 10:30:38 AM
"...Palin urged the McCain campaign to tout a story about a period of time where she and her husband, Todd, didn't have health insurance -- only to have that story shot down by Todd himself as inaccurate."-----------------Another example of how the right wing makes a mockery of the Christian faith.
Posted by: libertyrulz | Jun 30, 2009 10:37:05 AM
It will go down as the worst v.p. pick in HISTORY!!!!!
Posted by: Reese | Jun 30, 2009 10:38:12 AM
When are we going to stop bringing up old issues from last year, especially the election? Its funny to hear that McCains camp is criticizing Palin, as if they were doing something correct the whole time. But we know this now ... Palin has gone from an obscure nobody in politics (outside alaska) to a household name and celebrity. I would have liked to see her on "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here".
Posted by: Fernando | Jun 30, 2009 10:38:58 AM
Palin doesn't want to be left alone. Even articles such as this negative one will get a reaction from her. She can't help herself. As with any immature, silly girl, she will take ANY attention over none.
Posted by: hang | Jun 30, 2009 10:39:14 AM
I don't understand. Why is the media spending any more time on this stuff. The campaign has been over for months now. Why are they so obsessed with Sarah Palin and her family? I agree with other posters here. We should be asking about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the stimulus package, our response to global political issues in Iran and North Korea, and why we now are talking about taxing health benefits.
Posted by: bkm | Jun 30, 2009 10:39:25 AM
"It looks to me that Obama is getting on the job training and has little room to talk."
A) Obama hasn't said ANYTHING about Palin since the election.
B) EVERY President learns on the job. Name one who didn't. Besides Bush, he apparently never learned anything.....
Posted by: SearamblerOne | Jun 30, 2009 10:40:37 AM
Good ol' media - - Rick Kein parroting a Vanity Fair article bashing Palin. Ever ready to criticize or minimalize anything leaning slightly to the right of center but adoringly blather about Obama - - either omitting any short-comings or finding excuses and even slobbberingly praise his "flip-flops" as 'man enough to change his mind' ! ! ! He is learning as he goes -at our expense. He is great in theory - - not so much in practice.
Posted by: Reeba | Jun 30, 2009 10:42:19 AM
Free me along with Iran!
Posted by: Rick Santelli | Jun 30, 2009 10:47:09 AM
A Governor was more concerned with the people she was elected to represent than with campaigning, and you call it a misstep?!? What do you call Obama (besides God)???.
Posted by: Phil | Jun 30, 2009 10:56:17 AM
Ah no Reese, Biden (the numbskull) will go down as the "laughing stock" VP, along with Bamy.....also an embarrassment to America!
Posted by: maniteu | Jun 30, 2009 11:04:45 AM
The GOP base should realize she is not the flag bearer for the party in 2010 or 2012.
Putting her front and center again, will cause the moderates, fiscal conservatives and social liberals to stay away from the party and leave it to the bible thumpers promoting the messages of their supreme leaders.
American is not a theocracy and the GOP shoudl not be either.
Posted by: scott jeffries | Jun 30, 2009 11:05:20 AM
Palin was a good choice for VP candidate. She solidified the Republican base and got a lot of people out to vote who would have stayed home. She was certainly better than Lieberman or Romney who would have started a mass defection in the Republican party. It was McCain who lost the election, not Palin.
Posted by: GreggW | Jun 30, 2009 11:08:06 AM
It was McCain's missteps that lost the election. He was irratic when the economy melted down and he lost control of his campaign and his message.
Posted by: GreggW | Jun 30, 2009 11:10:06 AM
Actually the worst VP pick has to be Joe Biden, aka Gaffes Biden. Notice how the Obama administration cannot let him out in public without his making another gaffe!
Speaking of mistakes though, I keep wondering why the media in general and ABC specifically keeps pointing out things about Palin yet fails to see that the President and Vice President cannot count. Obama counts 57 states in the USA while Biden counts 3 letters in the word JOBS. Not too mention things like Honduras Congress and Judiciary abiding by their Constitution while Obama sides with dictators, socialists, and the law breaking ex-President of Honduras. Thought Obama didn't meddle in the affairs of foreign countries or was that the affairs of non-Democracy foreign countries?
Posted by: Flame | Jun 30, 2009 11:16:07 AM
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