White House ‘08: Republicans now asking Palin Question

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Democrats have been asking questions about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s readiness to serve as vice president since her name was called by John McCain last month. Now some Republicans in the walkup to Thursday’s vice-presidential debate are asking similar questions, and providing a surprising answer.

“Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League,” wrote Kathleen Parker, a columnist at The National Review Online, who earlier this month had outed herself as a Palin supporter who decried the criticisms of Palin from Democrats.

And Parker is not alone among Republicans offering that assessment. GOP strategist Tony Fabrizio told the Associated Press that Palin’s recent interview with Katie Couric on the “CBS Evening News” was if not disqualifying then alarming. “You can’t continue to have interviews like that and not take on water,” Fabrizio said. Former George Allen senior advisor and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth media consultant Chris LaCivita offered this to the AP: “I have not been blown away by the interviews from her, but at the same time, I haven’t come away from them thinking she doesn’t know s-t. But she ain’t Dick Cheney, nor Joe Biden and definitely not Hillary Clinton,” LaCivita said.

Parker in her column called on Palin to volunteer to step aside as the Republican Party vice-presidential candidate to allow McCain to right the campaign ship. “Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first,” Parker wrote.

“Do it for your country,” Parker wrote.