I'm really kind of annoyed with an excerpt they have on ABC's website of Palin's interview, which shows Charlie likely didn't watch the video or take his own notes but was given it.
The question was on Palin was clarifying her "god" comment from the infamous "Church Speech" talking about God's plan. And initially he asks:
"You said recently in your old church that our national leaders are sending US soldiers on a task that is from god. Are we fighting a holy war?"
Now, that didn't sound right to me. And she said, "I don't know if those are my exact words" and he goes "Those are your exact words". This, technically, is true and he's not lieing. But lets look at the full quote.
"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 out on a task that is from God"
She is not saying "Our national leaders are sending US Soldiers on a task that is from god". She said to "PRAY....that our national leaders" etc etc. Charlie makes it out that she stated it as fact; in reality she stated it asking people to pray that it was true.
Lets go on.
Her answer was that it was an allusion to something Lincoln said. "never presume to know what's gods will is" (which she said she'd never do) "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". Thus...essentially that's what she is saying. PRAY that the tasks our leaders are sending us out to do is the will, the plan, the side, of God.
Charlie says that he understands her reference to Lincoln's words but goes on to say that she stated: "There is a plan, and it is gods plan".
Now, again, let us go to the source material
"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."
Wow, that is a lot different...in one case, as Charlie is implying, she's stating that definitively that the War in Iraq is Gods Plan. In the other, the actual transcript of the speech, it shows she's asking people to PRAY that there is a plan (for the war) and that that plan is God's Plan.
The transcript backs up what she said, that she was making allusions to Lincoln's statements that you do not say god is on your side, you pray that you're on his. Charlie's presentation of it, which while not a lie because it is her words, is completely taken out of context and implies the EXACT opposite.
She did get flumoxed after this point and does poorly in response. However, its understandable as she's having to explain a position she didn't actually have, though she still did poorly.
Still, when people ask why did she not do interviews...look at this. Show me an interview with Obama that had his words taken out of context that greatly.
This is meant to be a person that is in the media news reporting media, meaning "UNBIASED". He is not a commentator to my knowledge, he is not a politician. He is someone that the whole nation is supposed to watch to ask LEGITIMATE questions of candidates, and he asks pure, complete distortions. And not only that, after her initial answer corrected his distortion, he followed it up by further sticking to it.
People asked why people were saying they don't care that Palin hasn't had an interview, or doesn't care if Palin got interviewed by the media, this is why. They have shown, since the moment she was nominated, that they have no desire to be fair and unbiased but seek simply to distort, misrepresent, and attack her.
They are NOT politicians, many of those doing it have not been commentators like Hannity or Olbermann, but actual people meant to be doing legitimate news coverage and reporting.
Transcript of her speech
Segment
