Student Who Quizzed Palin On Pakistan: Her Handlers Are "Tyrannical"

Surprised (and upset) we missed this one. On Monday, Michael Smerconish, the never under-stated radio talk show host, had on his program the Temple Grad student who got Sarah Palin to say that she supported cross border raids into Pakistan even without that country's consent.

Palin's statement drew a lot of buzz, not simply because it mirrored the position of Barack Obama, but because it flew in the face of the alleged caution that John McCain preaches when it comes to talking about Pakistan. As such, the McCain campaign was quick to denounce the whole episode as "gotcha journalism."

Asked about it all, the student, Michael Rovito, was nearly apoplectic at the notion that questions for a vice presidential candidate were somehow inherently unfair.

"My dad and my uncle are kind of mocking me," he recalled. "My dad is saying 'Shut up, shut up.' I was like, 'No, I'm not going to shut up. If she is the vice presidential candidate I'm going to be paying her salary with my taxes. She needs to answer this question... It wasn't until she pulled away that I was like 'God, she just said what Obama says.'"

At this point, Smerconish jumped in, airing his own displeasure with how the McCain campaign has handled Palin's roll out, vis a vis the media: "This idea that she shouldn't be out there answering questions is insane... they are putting her in such short pants, they are not doing her any favor, meaning the advisers."

"It is tyrannical," replied Rovito. "It is bordering on tyranny, where we can't have these presidential and vice presidential ... candidates now, they aren't accountable, they aren't answering any questions. I think it is tyrannical ... they can't be shielding her, shifting her off to Arizona and some desert just to coach her on what to say on Thursday."

Tyranny may be a bit of an overstatement. In fact, in the end, McCain's sheltering could help Palin during the debate. As Smerconish noted, "The perception is only enhanced that she can't handle it... the expectations will be so low that if she simply hangs in there, people will say: 'Hey not as bad as I thought.'"

Listen to the interview here.

COMPLETE VP DEBATE COVERAGE: BIDEN PALIN VIDEO, HIGHLIGHTS

Comments

[EndangeredJackalope]

Temple grad student: "Waziristan's is blowin' up, huh?"
Palin: "Yeah it is, and the economy there is blowin' up too."

What in the world does that mean? Can anyone with some knowledge of Waziristan answer this?
Is he using "blowin' up" in the sense that, Waziristan is literally being blown up by bombs, by US military? Is he referring to radicaly economic or cultural changes happening there? I seriously suspect its the former.

But Palin says "yeah, and the economy is blowin up too" 'blowin' up', the slang tern meaning that it is rapidly expanding, or suggesting that their economy is melting down - Is she just spewing nonsense talk to sound informed (baking that either the global financial crisis is affecting Waziristan, or that it has somewhat expanded)?

Is she right? Has the goat trade has really expanded this quarter?

I haven't heard this tape anywhere really - I haven't heard anyone try to figure this out yet

[linaya]

So this proves Palin has as bad of ideas about Pakistan as Obama. I don't see how this helps Obama. Obama's stated idea about Pakistan is wrong and reckless and so is hers. No one wins this argument.

[astheworldturns]

Start again. Obama isn't wrong. Now go on with your conclusions.

[desertbloom]

In the debate, Biden was real and Palin was rehearsed. She didn't answer most of the questions; instead, she spouted coached talking points, like Eliza Doolittle.

For the Republicans, it's all form and little substance.

[wdw101]

for any debate everyone is coached...­.......

[MeiLing]

Surely, they are. Just as anyone who plans to go on a job interview should think over their qualifications and how they would answer some of the most likely questions. All that is to be expected. What you don't expect is to have someone read off their qualifications, experience, and work philosophy off a set of note cards. This debate, as well as the Couric interviews, are strikingly similar, in my mind, to the worst interviews I've had to sit through in the thirty some employees I've had to interview for an Info Tech positions in the last year and a half!

For my two cents, Biden is the guy I'm going to hire for the job!

[BinaryDelt]

Palin and McCain are done. How can anyone take their ticket seriously anymore?

http://www.2lincolns.com/2008/10/02/why-so-sarahious/

[gisellestwocents]

And that's exactly what happened..­.

[MtDavid]

It really doesn't matter what McCain says one day, because the next (or even hours later) he can reverse his stance, and the media has not ONCE called him a flip-flopper.
I don't know about this election, but Kerry was railroaded!

Has anyone noticed how obvious it is when Palin deviates from her memorized talking points and starts to ad lib like a student unprepared for a test? She is so full of BS. I believe that most people will see right through it.

[Zyzzygowski]

Note:

Pres Bush said, "If a country is to timid to act, then we will." Pres Bush said this six years ago, and it also is in line with what Sen Obama has said. Pres Bush offered no caveats, no excuses, nothing about being an ally or not; and, especially was non specific in how we would act, just as Sen Obama alluded to.

[JustLynn]

And my vote for VP goes to...Micha­el Rovito...i­f nothing else he knows how it SHOULD be...AND knows the definition of tyrannical­....

[fuzzyhook]

Again, I don't want to be the conspiracy guy in the room, but keep an eye on if her hair, and if it is covering her ears. She almost never does that, and if she does this evening, I'll bet you 700 billion dollars that she's got something in her ear. the only way she wins this debate is if she cheats, and I wouldn't be the least bit suprised if they were to go in that direction. This is the most underhanded, deplorable excuse for an honerable campaign I have evr seen, and that's saying something after seeing W's 2 "successful" bids. Country First. McCain should be ashamed of himself .

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

Ear receiver technology has progressed to the point that nothing is visible when looking at someones ear.The best we can hope for is feedback screech and possibly a circuit malfunction causing a perfect smoke ring to come out of her ear. LOL,talk about an elephant in the room.

[SailFree]

"Tyrannical," ay? That seems a non-biased, fair opinion.

[OdaNobunaga]

Every opinion is fair, whether it's biased or not. Stating opinions as fact, like the opinion that other people's opinions should be non-biased (except yours, for some reason) is not fair.

[Voting Must Happen]

Youth Vote: The Power of Registration
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=85&ArticleName=Youth+Vote%3a+The+Power+of+Registration

Oct 2 Polling Update
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=84&ArticleName=Poll+Update+

Obama 355, McCain 183
http://voteforamerica.net/electoral.aspx

Will McCain Re-suspend his Campaign?
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=80&ArticleName=Will+McCain+Re-suspend+his+Campaign%3f

[SethBLiNK]

There really is nothing wrong with Palin's answer, just as there is nothing wrong with Obama's. Obama didn't make a statement and didn't give away any strategy. He was asked a hypothetic­al... WHAT IF, we found Bin Laden... WHAT IF, he were in Pakistan, WHAT IF the Pakistani gov't refused to grab him or to allow us to grab him.

That's quite a set of hypotheticals, and had Obama said, we would respect Pakistan's sovereignty, I would agree, too much information. But to say that we would go get him doesn't damage us in any way. Bin Laden is not in a known location, there is no reason to assume that the Pakistani's wouldn't cooperate and Obama isn't the President. So McCain's fake outrage is just a chance for him to be mockingly critical of Obama on the basis of being naive. Regardless of whether the kid "gotcha'd" Palin or not, she did say pretty much what Obama said.

But like Truman said, if you can't stand the heat, don't campaign in a Pizza shop.

[SailFree]

I'm really sorry, but grasping reality that firmly and speaking the truth, looking at the situation objectively, is SIMPLY NOT ALLOWED HERE!

[OdaNobunaga]

If you dislike this site so much, if you feel so oppressed, then why oh why don't you just LEAVE?

[HypnoToad]

Simply pitiful, McCain.

[Diogenis]

I hope they both just shake hands,,,and no hug.

[Diogenis]

I just received emails from many pit bulls. They are insulted and enraged that Sarah compares herself to them.

[patmancando]

trite!

[Diogenis]

uptight there?