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."

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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

[Old time Dem]

What universe does this woman inhabit?

How stupid does she think the American voters are?

Why would anyone let her near our economy or the nuclear codes?

Is it possible she can't name a book or magazine she reads - other than to say 'all of them' All of what?

[CintiBlue]

She might have gotten a D+ if she had remembered one title she noticed standing in a grocery checkout line.

[nutty4tahoe]

Remember, it took this gal six years to graduate from college. My stepson took six years to graduate from college too and it was because he was slacking and kept dropping classes, etc., instead of getting the job done. I guess she and McCain go together as he was a dreadful student too.

I just couldn't believe it! Katie Couric asked her three times to name newspapers and/or magazines she liked to read and she couldn't even name one! Someone needs to ask her what's the last book she read. Wouldn't it be funny if it was "My Pet Goat"?

I'm looking forward to the Alaska Legislature's report on Sarah Palin's misdeeds coming out October 10.

[strangelet]

In answer to your questions:

According to string theory, there are (using the technical term) a gazillion alternate universes. I believe she's in the one farthest from this one.

Very.

American voters may be as stupid as she thinks.

Perhaps she was referring to the obscure journal "All Of Them", which concerns itself with the question "Which insane pseudo-religious concepts should we believe in?".

[PhilTListener]

Classics Illustrated perhaps? I'll try to get some and bring 'em to ya!

[sus1]

re: TROOPERGATE - Consortiumnews says NEW WITNESS.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/093008b.html
re: EMAIL HACK - Apparently there was YET ANOTHER email address.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/president/articles/2008/09/30/20080930palin0930email.html

Truthfully, I hope they keep her around awhile.

[fairwitness]

So, this was a "take-home" quiz, with the book open? I bet her roommate did the answers. Or her keeper.