Charlie Gibson's attempt to use Sarah Palin's "exact words" to discredit her was little more than a hoax.
In her first post-nomination interview, Governor Sarah Palin was confronted by ABC’s Charlie Gibson with the following question:
You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?
The record after this is a little confusing because ABC has edited the video and their transcripts several times, before and after the interview first aired. They posted a variety of video excerpts and so-called transcripts on the internet, none of which accurately reflect the full discussion between Governor Palin and Charlie Gibson. It is amazing how ABC has tried to obscure what really happened to hide the obvious mistakes they made in the editing and presentation of Governor Palin’s positions.
Some commentators have noted that Gibson’s question and quote were "out of context," but they do not point out the obvious intellectual dishonesty at play. In all likelihood most commentators have neither listened to nor read the real interview (almost impossible to find anymore) or to the Governor's complete remarks at her former church. This is not some subtle nuanced contextual point, but a serious case of fabrication through selective editing and rewriting of the Governor’s words.
This is what was and was not broadcast on Thursday 9/11 on ABC World News. The words highlighted in italics were not included in the broadcast, but they do appear in various ABC released transcripts and video excerpts:
GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God."
[In some versions, a video is then shown of the Governor making impromptu remarks at her former church, but in every version ABC dishonestly omits the end of her statement highlighted below in italics. This full uncut eight-minute video is what she actually said and can be seen at here with the Iraq/God portion between 3:10 and 3:45.
In some versions, not the one initially broadcast on 9/11, Governor Palin is seen at an impromptu talk at her former church. "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 them out on a task that is from God; 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."
None of the ABC versions include the last phrase in italics. In other versions, the video is completely excluded so all the viewers hear is Gibson saying, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God."]
GIBSON: Are we fighting a holy war?
PALIN: You know, I don’t know if that was my exact quote.
GIBSON: It’s (the) exact words.
PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln’s words when he said — first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.
But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that’s a repeat in my comments, was 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.
That’s what that comment was all about, Charlie. And I do believe, though, that this war against extreme Islamic terrorists is the right thing. It’s an unfortunate thing, because war is hell and I hate war, and, Charlie, today is the day that I send my first born, my son, my teenage son overseas with his Stryker brigade, 4,000 other wonderful American men and women, to fight for our country, for democracy, for our freedoms.
Charlie, those are freedoms that too many of us just take for granted. I hate war and I want to see war ended. We end war when we see victory, and we do see victory in sight in Iraq.
GIBSON: I take your point about Lincoln’s words, but you went on and said, "There is a plan and it is God’s plan."
PALIN: I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That, in my worldview, is a grand — the grand plan.
GIBSON: But then are you sending your son on a task that is from God?
PALIN: I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie. What I know is that my son has made a decision. I am so proud of his independent and strong decision he has made, what he decided to do and serving for the right reasons and serving something greater than himself and not choosing a real easy path where he could be more comfortable and certainly safer.
Besides leaving insightful comments from Governor Palin on the editing room floor, the most dishonest aspect of the presentation was ABC's purposeful omission of two phrases from her impromptu comments at her former church and the deliberate modification of her words to change her meaning altogether. If ABC had even attempted to be fair and impartial, they would have at least shown the Governor the complete video they claimed to be quoting from.
"Quoting out of context" is defined as "selective excerpting of words from their original linguistic context in a way that distorts the source’s intended meaning." Gibson definitely quoted the Governor out of context, but then he went further and fraudulently rewrote her words to drastically change the idea she was expressing.
As quoted above, this is what she said (the portions ABC edited out are in italics):
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 them out on a task that is from God; 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.
But all Charlie Gibson quoted in his initial question was, "Our national leaders are sending [U.S. soldiers] on a task that is from God." This would be quoting "out of context," and a not so subtle example except he went further and changed "sending them out" to "sending U.S. soldiers" to better fit his false stand alone statement.
Then after the Governor (without benefit of the video of her impromptu remarks) explained her point by referring to the famous Lincoln quote, Gibson takes his fabrication to a much higher level. He states, "[I take your point about Lincoln’s words,] but you went on and said, 'There is a plan and it is God’s plan.'"
This is the only time Gibson quotes a portion of the final phrase in Governor Palin's statement, but he conveniently omits the key point, "that’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for." She never once declared, "There is a plan and it is God’s plan." Instead, as a religious believer speaking to fellow believers in a church, Governor Palin recommended that she and they all pray “that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”
Note how after omitting the opening point about praying, he edited out the words "that that plan" and replaced them with "it." The result in not an out of context quote – it is fraud. “[. . . that’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that] there is a plan and [that that plan] [it] is God’s plan.”
ABC obviously realizes the seriousness of this fraud, and they have attempted to cover-up their dishonesty. Most of the posted videos have been re-edited, and they even omitted this complete topic from what they now title “Gov. Sarah Palin: The Full Interview,” which they broadcast on Friday night Sept. 12 on their 20/20 broadcast. Interestingly, the so-called “Full Interview” also omits Gibson’s now discredited question about “The Bush Doctrine.” The so-called Full Interview is available online at http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5793131.
But neither ABC nor Charlie Gibson has issued a public apology for this affront to Governor Palin and all religious people of the United States who they tried to defame with their dishonest portrayal. If only they accepted the concept of shame, we could say Shame on You!
First published by Jewish World Review. Republished with permission from the author.
Did ABC hire Michael Moore to direct the interview?
Gibson was shockingly bad, but he accomplished his mission. He made Palin look like the idiot Obama is. He practically erased the Republican bounce by using fuzzy terms (Bush Doctrine) and condescendingly attacking things she never said (God loves our war.)
When history remembers this time, the loss of a free and objective press to an agenda-driven press will be one of the great calamities of the time.
It would be nice if when they were speaking truth to power they would speak this truth to this power. Because right now, the mainstream media is all power, no truth.
The mainstream media are on a crusade to crucify Palin who is the biggest threat to their liberal values since Ronald Reagan. We are going to have to be prepared for this stuff until November 4, and keep writing against it.
This would not be so bad except people who only get their information from the old-media only hear one side of it. It won’t matter a great deal that Gibson & company have been ‘caught in the act’, because most of the audience will never see that either. The reason I say this is not so bad (the tripping up part) is that we all do it. We all focus in on the bits and pieces of what others say or think they said, and break down their arguments. When Rush or Sean play back the bits and pieces they use, aren’t they leaving out 90-95% of all that is said? They too zero in on the parts they want us to hear. The difference being they know they will be called on it and, so, make sure they have the context right. Gibson was sloppy and partisan, but where he goofed is in underestimating Palin. She is very good at turning the tables on her adversaries, which is one reason she excites the base. Palin called attention to important parts having been left out. And, not just left out, but intentionally left out; and the more she kept him talking about it the more apparent it became that is what he was doing. Gibson then compounded matters covering his tracks. He should have conceded the point, then and there; but, instead, stayed in the adversarial role expected of him.
Charlie Gibson is doing exactly what is expected of every partisan interviewer, he’s challenging the competition. Where the whole business is flawed is that we (conservatives) lack our own Charlie Gibson doing it back to their guys. Sure we have Rush, Sean and the rest of conservative radio, but those are not the stations most voters hear. Radio is not television with its capacity to shape thought through imagery. It doesn’t give people a face to go with the voice. Talk-radio requires you to listen to what is said, making it less passive; and the ability of listeners to call in and challenge what is said reinforces this. People, who want a station they can just listen to, tune to those that just preach and/or those that dwell on topics no more than it takes to paint broad outlines. They want image, not substance. For all these reasons, TV remains the preferred medium of the minimally engaged. Ask yourselves: do I retain more of an impression viewing or listening? Why?
We listen to talk-radio because we are smart enough to realize the limitations and sought out fresh perspectives. Once outside the box, we also realized the manipulation. We listen with more of our brain engaged because we are the type that belittles those who don’t, and don’t want to be caught, ourselves, ‘stuck in stupid’. How many of you, on hearing something important on the radio, dig deeper. We get our news reading opposing newsprint, sifting the Internet, finding alternative interpretations unavailable in the standard fare, and engaged in debate until satisfied we’ve pushed passed the hype and, sometimes, our own misconceptions. That makes us the exception and not the rule (I include some liberals in this appraisal because it addresses modes of engagement, not substance).
Despite Gibson and ABC’s best effort, Palin keeps coming out of these interviews smelling better than they do. We can cry foul, for all the good it will do, or we can play up just how sharp this gal is. The attempts at tripping her up were clumsy and it is revealing, even to ABC’s typical viewer. ABC can replay edited scripts, but too many viewers saw the live version, and some things are so obviously edited that, at least some viewers, will notice the gaps. That means the cats out of the bag, and unlikely ABC can stuff the whole beast back in. Undecided viewers will blink and liberal voters will go into denial mode, but the upshot is the Gibson/ABC goose is cooked. Palin took on the good-old boys on their own turf, and, so far, she’s winning.
here are 2 recent quotes which confirm Sarah Palin’s astute intelligence, grasp of the current fiscal situation and brilliant plan for education.
She sure is smelling like an intellectual in these quotes:
“That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh — it’s got to be all about job creation too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade, we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, um, scary thing, but 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade sector today. We’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.”
“I personally believe that, U.S. Americans are unable to do so, because some… people out there in our nation that don’t have maps, and I believe that our education, like such, as in South Africa and Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should… our education over here in the U.S., should help the U.S., er, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future.., for our…”