Charlie Gibson Mis-quotes Palin–UPDATED

September 11, 2008 / 9:29 pm • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Here’s what he says she said:

Allah says:

Totally untrue, but that’s what he gets for relying on the Associated Press, which took the liberty of bowdlerizing her quote mid-sentence in order to make it fit the narrative they were trying to build of her as some fundie who thinks she can read God’s mind. Here’s my post on the subject from last Thursday. Read it and see just how egregious the distortion here is.

“Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God,” she exhorted the congregants. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”

Allah continues:

Here’s what the AP turns it into:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a “task that is from God.”…

“Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God,” she said. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God’s plan.”

People depend on the press to deliver the news. All of it–so that it is the truth and not some part or piece that helps them. Charlie Gibson gave weight to an untruth so Governor Palin had to respond to something she didn’t really say.

And so, when she said, “I don’t think that’s what I said” and that ISN’T what she said, it sounds like she’s not willing to stand by her words. And when Gibson says, “I have the quote right here.” How, from memory is she going to dispute that?

This type of thing undermines a free pres and a free society.

Now, my overall impressions. I thought the lighting, camera angles and the sound stunk. It was weird. Did they just do what they had to given the resources or are they trying to make her unpolished? Charlie Gibson looked like his underwear were too tight. As in, his interaction seemed strained and also that interviewing her was almost beneath him. Get the f#ck over it people. If McCain is elected, she WILL be Vice President. Deal. With. It.

Okay, via The Anchoress, she mentions that Ann Althouse’s readers would like a side by side with a Charlie Gibson Obama interview. So here it is:

About two minutes in, you get the feel. Again with the bad lighting and weird camera angles. Maybe the ABC producers just suck. But, I get the feeling that the interaction is warm and chummy. What do you think? I don’t see the arrogant, look-down-the nose distaste for Obama that I saw with Palin. The Anchoress notes:

Also, I must say when Palin replied that she was “ready to lead” and Gibson responded with ”doesn’t that take hubris” I was completely offended. Anyone who is running for these offices had DAMN WELL feel confident that they are “ready to lead” from day one. Furthermore, has Biden even been asked if he feels ready to lead? Because I’m getting the impression, lately, that he does not. And does Gibson find Obama’s saying he is “ready to lead” too hubristic, since he has never held any sort of executive position? That one pissed me off, and it raised my feminist hackles, too. It was a man giving a woman crap for declaring that she was capable.

Generally, the press is biased against religion. Newt Gingrich rightly chastised them. Alan Colmes sat doe-eyed and simply did not get it. When I get the quote, I’ll share it with you. Over at StoptheACLU, the writer got the same feeling I did:

I feel just like Roger below about this interview. Charlie Gibson’s sneering condescending tone, looking down over the rim of his glasses like he’s some snobby intellectual made me a little sick. But, twisting her words into a fabrication of his own illogical fear of theocracy was utterly insulting….especially after insisting those words were “exact”, which was just a straight up lie.

This was Palin’s first effort. She’ll get better. She’s smart. The press? They’ll get worse. The contempt for religion, shows contempt not just for her, but for religious Americans.

UPDATED:

Gateway Pundit calls it a “hatchet job”.

Michelle Malkin says “ABC blows it”. Yes, they blow the notion that they’re unbiased.

Kathryn Lopez asks, “Is it me? Or was Charlie Gibson just condescendingly explaining the world to Sarah Palin?” It wasn’t just you.

At Suitably Flip,

“Charlie Gibson Calls Sarah Palin a “Mannish, Provincial Whore”
And those were his EXACT WORDS.”

Sister Toldjah feels that Palin “did fine.” Me too.

Allah thinks Gibson is condescending, but that Palin did fine.

If there’s something I missed (highly likely), Instapundit probably grabbed it. The man misses little.

Posted in America • Political Animals
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  • Trish

    This doesn’t surprise me any.
    I watched one of Ronald Reagan’s speeches with a lefty friend of mine once. Afterwards, the “analysts” came on to “analyze” the speech. My friend was staring wide-eyed at the screen, astonished: “But that’s not what he SAID!”

    No, it doesn’t surprise me.

  • Rock

    My impression – and I heard parts of it on the radio – is that she did “okay” – defintely nothing out of the ballpark (and I’m a real supporter) but the question that kept coming up to me is why is this man asking her all of these questions and then following up in that school marmish way?

    And now we got him misquoting her? “Now, Charlie…”

  • http://liberative.blogspot.com bobn

    I thought she did damn good. Corrected Charlie on the clear meaning (clear to all but Charlie, apparently) of her church talk. I knew what she meant and i’m not religious at all – the lefties in media have some sort of special grammar and syntax, apparently.

    Stood up for her right to believe in herself even if he doesn’t.

    Only mis-statement is that Bush doctrine is about pre-emption, not imminence. Which has been a little worrying to me, BTW.

  • Dee Day

    This interview or more appropriately, interrogation, was shockingly rude!
    What is encouraging is that Sarah Palin has the same ability that Ronald
    Reagan had of connecting and communicating so well with the American
    people that she really doesn’t need the mainstream press. All she has to
    do is show up before her throngs of followers and speak……and if I hear
    one more word about her lack of qualification, I may just throw something right through my tv screen!!

  • http://web.mac.com/writecoast/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html Peggy McGilligan

    The “Bush Doctrine” question was unprofessional. Mr. Gibson didn’t know enough about the “Bush Doctrine” to field a question about it. Mr. Gibson had to answer Governor Palin’s question about the specifics, with yet another question. Either Charlie Gibson was unprepared to talk about the “Bush Doctrine,” or he was so intent on leading the interview or both, that when Ms. Palin asked for the clarification Charlie blew it. By tossing what everyone could tell was an erroneous question back into her lap, Mr. Gibson looked at least like a lazy journalist. So, I’m not surprised Charlie Gibson misquoted the prayer either. Sarah Palin did an excellent job of articulating her take on the “Bush Doctrine.” And, that’s what she was called upon to do. Don’t do your homework, it’ll show. The whole tone of the interview was just plain rude. Oh, and I’m onboard with the demeaning camera techniques too. I had to do a double take to see whether they hadn’t sawed the legs off Ms. Palin’s chair: http://theseedsof9-11.com

  • Perry

    Charlie Gibson was a total disappointment and looked like the buffoon that he apparently is.