Palin Gives Major 'Interview' (To Hometown Paper): Asked About Book Banning and Rape Kits -- Still Claims She Cancelled Bridge

Sarah Palin has finally given a lengthy newspaper interview, but it was not with The New York Times, Washington Post or other large daily. Instead, it appears today in her hometown Wasilla, Alaska, weekly, The Frontiersman. And it was all via email.

The paper ran the interview on its front page today with the intro: "The responses here were not edited and are preceded by the verbatim questions posed to her."

Asked, for example, to name any mistakes she had made as mayor of the town she only came up with underestimating her opponents. She also deflected any blame in the "troopergate" controversy, the book-banning charges and the allegations that she had something to do with rape victims having to pay for their own medical tests.

"I'm not going to win over anyone in the media elite -- I'm going to do my best for the American people," she said.

She also continued to say of the Bridge to Nowhere, "I cancelled the project," even though this has been challenged by various fact-checking organizations.

Amazingly, she suggests that her kids are the first candidate's offspring to have their privacy probed -- after bringing her pregnant teen daughter up on stage at the GOP convention and having her new baby passed around from arm to arm.

Here are a few choice lines from her responses.

On the media:

"Nothing really prepares you for hatred and made-up stories. But it's nothing like the hard times of a family that's lost a job, lost health insurance, or lost a son or daughter in battle. I would hope that the privacy of my children would be respected, as has been the tradition for the children of previous candidates."

On that pipeline:

"As governor, I pushed for the largest infrastructure project in North America, the natural gas pipeline that will provide new supply and price relief from Alaska to Americans in the Lower 48."

On the Bridge to Nowhere:

"After taking office and examining the project closely, realizing the Feds were not going to fund it as Alaskans had assumed was the case, I cancelled the project."

On her town billing victims for rape kits:

"The entire notion of making a victim of a crime pay for anything is crazy. I do not believe, nor have I ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test. As governor, I worked in a variety of ways to tackle the problem of sexual assault and rape, including making domestic violence a priority of my administration."

On the book banning:

"As people there know, all questions posed to the library director were asked in a context of professionalism, regarding the library policy that was in place. Before I became mayor, there was conversation in our community about what sorts of books were appropriate for the public library. I asked the librarian about the process for answering that question as a way to familiarize myself with city staff and the issues being discussed in Wasilla at that time. I certainly never advocated banning books. This was a ridiculous, false claim....There were never any books banned and any reports claiming otherwise are grossly false."

On Alaska having the third worst children's health insurance program in the country:

"I know the challenges that families without health insurance face. I know about the tough decisions and I know about their worries. There were times that Todd and I didn't have health insurance. Believe me -- that is a very scary thing for a family. John McCain and I have a detailed plan that includes providing a $5,000 tax credit to families so they can buy health insurance."

On troopergate:

"I am an open book on this matter and am fully cooperating with the non-political, legally appropriate and independent investigation of the Personnel Board. I have agreed to produce all documents, and am scheduling meetings with its investigator, Mr. Petumenos....Walt Monegan has acknowledged I did not, nor did Todd, nor did any staff member, tell him to fire anyone. Walt was offered another position because he was not willing to implement the Palin-Parnell administration's agenda to find efficiencies in every state department so that the public could be better served, and to fill the vacant trooper positions that I fought hard to fund."

On the McCain team directing part of state government:

"The McCain-Palin campaign is not involved in operating state government.... The campaign is not involved in state government operations."

Click for the full article.
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Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher and author of the new book on Iraq and the media, "So Wrong for So Long."

Comments

[lincheryl]

I guess she is cooperating with the Personnel Board. They are people she appointed and can fire. I wonder if they would be objective? The ones who are supposed to be conducting the investigation are the ones she is NOT cooperating with. Double talk.

[ebanks84]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081001/NEWS09/810010377/1056&theme=CAMPAIGN_2008 - top right video on page.

EVERYONE!

Please go to this link and hear McCain say right out of his mouth ..."IF I WERE DICTATOR, AS I HAVE ASPIRED TO BE..."

I hope Sarah Palin can explain away McCain's words here.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS AS TO HIS INTENT?

[DonDavis]

Who Says Palin Doesn't Read? -- Sarah's Top 10 Newspapers/Magazines
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=3632

[Beca]

This is a total lie! She condoned charging for rape kits as mayor until a legislative bill stopped the practice! She has done absolutely nothing about women's issues in Alaska as Gov. Alaska has the highest rate of rape, domestic violence and violent crime against women, per capita, in the nation!
""The entire notion of making a victim of a crime pay for anything is crazy. I do not believe, nor have I ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test. As governor, I worked in a variety of ways to tackle the problem of sexual assault and rape, including making domestic violence a priority of my administration."
I know the McCain camp wrote that for her! SHE CLAIMS TO BE A CHRISTIAN BUT SHE LIES AS EASILY AS SHE BREATHES!

[Beca]

I can bet you that the "interview" was answered by a McCain ghost writer and not Palin! That is why they chose to do this remote interview with a local Alaska paper-I doubt they would have the resources to fly down here to meet with her in person. The McCain camp are really scrambling to undue her stupid interviews!

[BarackMarley]

Okay nothing real. What about her Top 5 Scandals? the Only one they asked about was Troopergate

Top 5 Palin Scandals
http://newsone.blackplanet.com/elections/the-top-5-sarah-palin-scandals/

[rjmiller]

On troopergate: "I am an open book on this matter and am fully cooperating with the non-political, legally appropriate and independent investigation of the Personnel Board."

Uh huh.

[grantlingel]

she nixed the bridge to nowhere... but kept the money

on rape kit fees... come on.. wasilla has 6000 people. she KNEW.

i mean... are we going to let this woman LIE to us?? she is LYING! and a lot of people don't seem to care!!!

http://grantlingel.blogspot.com

[justobserve]

Yes, the important point in the bridge to nowhere is she KEPT THE MONEY!
As for people who don't care about McCain and Palin's lies, they are Republicans supporting the Party of LIARS! They don't notice that the time for the plantation mentality has passed. DON'T GAMBLE YOUR COUNTRY WITH McCAIN-PALIN'S RECKLESS JUDGMENT, LIES, BIGOTRY, FAKE FAMILY VALUES, SECRECY, CRONYISM.

[ebanks84]

And no one is asking her what she did with the money.

[DCinFrance]

Lord, give me strength. Ghost written responses to an email is now considered an interview? Will this circus ever end??

This too gives you a clue how she's going to respond in the debate. "I believe...blah, blah, blah..." I could care less what you believe as much as I want to know what you did and what you are going to do!

Again, can we, like, pass an emergency Constitutional amendment and vote tomorrow??!! Enough of this lunacy!

[jfor]

More McCain staffers worked on this email interview than will work on any thing that would help the American people if they are elected. McCain and Palin will not get anything done since all their time will be spent lying over the lies, spinning over the spin and refuting every piece of factual evidence regarding anything that concerns anything.

[omac112211]

An interview by e-mail?

What next, SMS text messaging, interview by FAX, morse code, smoke signals.

... give me strength!

[ICanHasDemocracy]

Did the First Dude approve it beforehand?

[Pacojam]

Paying for rape kits helped get rid of witchcraft in Wasilla.

[jwb]

Alaska is the #1 state for reported rapes. Charging for rape kits reduces the number of reported rapes, especially among those victims who can't afford the fees. If you view the problem as too many reported rapes, rather than too many rapes, this helps solve the problem.

[Punkynsnow]

The truth can be ugly, can't it?

[dlswriter]

McCain will suspend the campaign, but offer to do further debates by email.

[egal]

We really have to commend Palin. It's rare to see an equivalent level of stupidity accompanying such astounding ignorance, corruption, fabrication, and delusions.

[Pupadup4oBama]

G.Dub redux - this woman doesn't take ANY responsibility. Obviously they see admitting they were wrong as a sign of weakness when in fact its a sign of great strength (Obama can do this with no problem). They certainly do have low-self esteem issues.

[lincheryl]

Bush must be ecstatic. Someone is actually making him look good.