Palin talks tough on Russia, Iran

In a TV interview, she tackles foreign policy, not without stumbles. Her view on global warming has shifted.

CAMPAIGN '08

September 12, 2008|Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer

Gibson, however, mischaracterized her as simply asserting that the nation's leaders were sending troops to Iraq on a task from God.

"Are we fighting a holy war?" he asked.

After Palin disputed his characterization, she paraphrased Abraham Lincoln, saying she meant, "Let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side."

Gibson went on to take a second part of her comments out of context. Palin had asked the group to pray "that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."

But Gibson dropped her reference to praying -- and instead quoted Palin as saying the war was God's plan. He asked if she believed the country was sending her son on a task from God.

"I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie," she responded, adding that she was proud of Track for "serving something greater than himself."

Palin's most visible stumble came when Gibson asked whether she agreed with the Bush Doctrine.

"In what respect, Charlie?" she asked the anchor, who sat directly across from her in a matching upright armchair.

Gibson then asked what she interpreted the Bush Doctrine to be.

"His worldview," she answered.

Once Gibson explained that the doctrine meant preemptive wars, Palin used the opportunity to take veiled shots at President Bush, whose unpopularity has weighed on McCain's candidacy.

"I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hellbent on destroying our nation," she said. "There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made."

With new leadership "comes opportunity to do things better," she said.

On the question of whether she was ready to step in as president if needed, Palin said she was. She also said she had not hesitated to accept McCain's offer to join the ticket.

"I answered him yes, because I have the confidence in that readiness, and knowing that you can't blink," she said. "You have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink. So I didn't blink then, even when asked to run as his running mate."

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Times staff writers Matea Gold, Peter Spiegel and Maeve Reston contributed to this report.