Palin Indicates She’ll Take Aggressive Approach To VP Debate

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(SEDONA, Ariz.) In an interview with conservative radio host Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin gave a hint of what to expect during Thursday’s vice presidential debate in St. Louis.

Palin told Hannity that she had been brushing up on Barack Obama and Biden’s voting records and has realized “how extremely liberal the other ticket is.”

The Republican vice presidential nominee took several swipes at both Democrats on issues ranging from energy independence, the war in Iraq and taxes.

Though Biden will be her opponent in St. Louis, Palin saved the majority of her attacks for Obama, referring to the Democrat’s vote to cut off funding for troops in Iraq as “reckless and irresponsible” and “so political.” Palin noted that Biden chastised Obama for the Illinois senator’s vote on the issue during the Democratic primary battle.

Palin has been sequestered at John McCain’s Arizona ranch over the past couple of days, which she has spent conducting mock debates outdoors. If the Hannity interview is any indication, a major part of her debate strategy will be to portray the Democratic ticket as tax and spend liberals.

“When Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich, he doesn’t tell Americans that 85 percent of small businesses will be impacted by his tax increases,” she said.

Seeming to agree with Hannity’s assessment that she has been treated unfairly by the press, Palin blamed the “filter of the mainstream media” for “trying to censor my comments” and said “the state of journalism has changed a bit since I received my degree.” She added that she cares deeply about the freedom of the press but wants more accountability.

Asked about the controversy surrounding Thursday’s debate moderator Gwen Ifill, who is writing a book scheduled for publication in January called “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,” Palin said she’s “not gonna let it be a concern,” adding that it’s “going to make us work just that much harder.”

On the financial crisis, Palin repeated her praise of McCain’s leadership and said that although Americans have been “taken advantage of,” the crisis should lead to “simple lessons” about personal responsibility, such as saying no to an extra credit card or declining to purchase an unaffordable mortgage.