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November 16, 2009 6:23 PM

Fact Check: Palin Contradicts Her Own Version Of Events With Oprah

Posted by CBSNews.com
(AP/Harper)
By special contributor Shushannah Walshe and CBS News' Scott Conroy, co-authors of the book "Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise And Brutal Education Of A New Conservative Superstar"

In a segment of her interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was posted online but did not air on television, Sarah Palin was asked whether her family had voted on her decision to accept John McCain's offer to join him on the Republican ticket in August of 2008.

"This time, there wasn't a family vote," Palin told Winfrey. "Other steps in my political life, I've polled the kids, and I have abided by some of the results of the polls that the kids have partaken in. This time, no."

But in September of 2008, Palin told an entirely different story to Fox News' Sean Hannity.

"What was your family's reaction?" Hannity asked. "Was there time to huddle and have a hockey team meeting?"

"It was a time of asking the girls to vote on it, anyway," Palin told Hannity. "And they voted unanimously, yes. Didn't bother asking my son because, you know, he's going to be off doing his thing anyway, so he wouldn't be so impacted by, at least, the campaign period here."

"So asked the girls what they thought and they're like, absolutely. Let's do this, mom."

In our book, "Sarah From Alaska," we reveal that Palin actually instructed the McCain campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt, to tell her children that she was running for vice president, which Schmidt subsequently did.

"I have an announcement to make," the broad-shouldered senior strategist said as everyone in the now crowded room looked on. "Senator McCain has asked your mother to join him to be the Republican candidate for vice president."

This version of events has been confirmed by two people who were in the room at the time.

More Coverage of Sarah Palin's Book:

Exclusive: Palin Accounts Disputed by McCain Aides
Democrats Give Mixed Reactions to Sarah Palin Buzz
Sarah Palin: I Was "Annoyed" by Katie Couric's Newspaper Question
Bob Schieffer on Palin: No Future in Politics
Palin Book Roils Former McCain Aides
Palin "Vindictiveness" in Her New Book?
Sarah Palin's Book: The Fact Check
Palin Publicity Blitz Full Speed Ahead
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Add a Comment See all 25 Comments
by RestoreAmerica November 20, 2009 2:18 PM EST
Is there nothing else happening in the world that this article is actually newsworthy?? are you kidding me?? good freaking grief! the mentality of the liberal press is amazing.
Reply to this comment
by Spanview November 19, 2009 12:01 PM EST
OMG, I couldn't help it..I read a little further...OMG..this is hilarious..WOW!! 2 people confirm that Schmidt made the announcement in the room!!! And this somehow contradicts exactly WHAT that Palin says happened in asking what her girls thought of it???

Wow, such hard hitting expose! I am literally laughing so hard I am crying!
Reply to this comment
by Spanview November 19, 2009 11:45 AM EST
Just read the first supposed "lie" by Palin..and no need to read further. The usual stellar reporting I have come to expect from CBS and Huffington on display again, along with the usual brilliant and incisive attention to factual details and analysis by their readers.

Read it again, folks.. note any difference between a "family vote"..which INCLUDES HER SON, and a "vote of just the girls"...which DID NOT INCLUDE THE SON?

What, exactly, is the inconsistency here?

Geez, folks..methinks you are too afraid of her, showing a desperation to create lies where there are none, and thus know she is our next President. Reminds me much of Reagan coverage before his rise. Gives me real hope for real change in our future. Thanks for cheering me up!
Reply to this comment
by azusnavy10 November 19, 2009 9:50 AM EST
Well lets take a close look at the past 20 yrs or so... shall we?

Spotlight... George Bush Senior (republican)... started the wars over in the sandbox of hell (middle east)... justifyable cause (not a strong one, but had a family history of involvement with the OIL industry... hmmm...?). Next we're followed by Bill Clinton (democrat) The US experienced a period of economic boom along with record numbers of real estate purchases... Then along comes everyone's favorite... George W. Bush (republican)... to say the least... de de dee.... though I have to give this man credit... as politically and socially retarted as this man was... he still got the majority of the US nation to vote for him for a second term... hmmm... maybe instead of throwing critisisms at this man, we should take a look in the mirror as a country as a whole (This man must have really been a freaking genious!!!)... Next comes the 2008 election... with lovely but airheaded and contradictory (republican) VP hopeful, Sarah Palin.... Do we see an emerging pattern here? Repulicans have a downhill trend forming.
Reply to this comment
by RestoreAmerica November 20, 2009 2:45 PM EST
Actually the Arabs started the war. I used to work for the highest paid man on walstreet I will tell you that all Clinton had to sit back and reap the benefits from good policies and economic strategies of the previous administration. George W. Bush has backbone and kept us safe. Obama is starting to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth and when he's done bankrupting this country will need a good 'ol Republican to fix everything again.
by egresor November 20, 2009 9:47 PM EST
azusnavy10

Then along comes everyone's favorite... George W. Bush (republican)... to say the least... de de dee.... though I have to give this man credit... as politically and socially retarted as this man was... he still got the majority of the US nation to vote for him for a second term...

====
the reason people elcted him to a second term is because americans are patriotic and the picture was painted as patriotic.

you can lead people almost anywhere if you can appeal to either their patriotism, or their prejudices, or their fears. karl rove and cheney were very adept at doing just that.....as long as the real truth doesn't comeout.
by shadow3210 November 18, 2009 11:07 PM EST
This is the problem with Palin and the others like her - they have no substance. They'll do and say whatever they think will further themselves, regardless of the facts or their true beliefs. Sen. John McCain is a good Christian conservative who publically defrauded the public trust $$$ as the leader of the Keating five, who publically (accidentally overheard and broadcast) called his wife a "cun _." VP Dick Cheney lied four times to avoid the Vietnam draft (of which I was a part of), told a publically elected senator to "Go *** - yourself" openly and with impunity because he was the big conservative and the Senator was just some liberal scum. These false leaders have got to go. We have better representatives for the public good in our High Schools than some of these nut jobs we send to Washington. Sarah Palin believes any media that seeks facts first and rhetoric second is anti-american - she restates this at every event. She is the cheapest of the cheap and there are still citizens that fall for her feel good speaches. My God people - our country is in serious need of an overhaul and you're picking the "C" team because they blow smoke up your dress. This has got to stop!
Reply to this comment
by Spanview November 19, 2009 11:57 AM EST
Umm..please post anything that has had any good results at all that your dear leader has accomplished? Please tell us where the substance is in any of our current leaders? A Tax Cheat head of Treasury? A grossly obese Surgeon General? A subservient, kow-towing, President? 38 unconstitutional Czars busily doing Central Economic Planning for our country, and such a good job of it, too! An Attorney-General who has always defended terrorists, cheats and robbers?

At least they aren't "false" I guess. Better an open tax-cheater, or a terrorist defending AG, or an obese SG, or a Marxist POTUS, than someone who means her whole family when she says family!
by larryvgs November 17, 2009 8:31 PM EST
Our economy is tanking, with record unheard of unemployment that's gone on longer than any previous time in our nation's history, but nope, you guys have broken the story of the century. Other news sources have found the administration's web site stimulus numbers to be fraudulent, but nope, you've got the goods on Sarah all right. She has two different recollections of what she told or asked her kids.

I forgave Hillary for her "bombs exploding around her" recollection and I'll forgive Palin for this. But you guys are really stretching what is "news" and it's amazing people actually spent time to write this story.
Reply to this comment
by dionaan November 17, 2009 1:09 PM EST
Really? I believe a breaking news story might be the one where a politician does not lie...about anything!!!!!!!!!!!! I would be thrilled to see that on either side of the field, and would vote for that person. If you lie about the little stuff, you lie about the big stuff, and visa versa. It gets real old after a while.
Someone PLEASE find us an honest politician that is out for the good of America, not the good of their own pocket.
Reply to this comment
by mevans112 November 17, 2009 9:45 AM EST
Wait a minute....I watched her announcement on National TV by John McCain when they "rolled her out" as his VP candidate and Sarah Palin at that time, made a BIG DEAL about the VOTE with her family including something "SPECIAL" that one of the family members had said. BTW Palin NEVER did sa what the SPECIAL words were from that one family member. She was to share that with her audience at a later date??? Oh, give me a break...lie, lie, lie...The woman is full of herself and can't stop lying...what do they call those people?
Reply to this comment
by dpmol November 17, 2009 8:42 AM EST
Please notice that in Palin's photo she does not look at us...she's off day dreaming about something...photos tell all!
Reply to this comment
by LordDilly November 17, 2009 6:12 AM EST
Great job, CBS!! Did you guys do the happy dance when you discovered this Watergate-level of political malfeasance? I mean, sure it would be nice if you "serious journalists" spent even 1/10th of the time doing any kind of investigative journalism on our current president (like, say, during the election?) as you do on a private citizen currently not running for anything or elected to anything, but then again I wouldn't want you all to lose seating privileges at the cool kids table.
Reply to this comment
by Spanview November 19, 2009 11:52 AM EST
Great post, LordDilly. Love it. You are so right. You know...something about BHOs parents not meeting if it weren't for Selma might have been a good place to start, moving onward, any coverage at all of the myriad web in his 2 "autobiographies" of accomplishments ( did you see any?), or how about his signature on the lawsuit with ACORN against CitiCorp, to force bad mortgages to people who can't pay them back? (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/special-editorial-reports/ACORN-Timeline-Corruption-and-community-organizing-from-the-outset-50151252.html)..or even any coverage at all of the iron fist of central planning by unconstitutional Czars destroying our economy?

Well, back to dreaming my father's dreams of a thriving America, I guess.
by gringovejo November 16, 2009 8:31 PM EST
As our old friend, Forest Gump might put it, " Stupid is as Stupid says and
Stupid does."
Reply to this comment
by pmacdee November 16, 2009 8:22 PM EST
It is a basic thing to tell the truth. She is always trying to represent herself as something that she is not, and it shows badly. Her husband contradicted her on this topic long before this.
Reply to this comment
by The_Darklady November 16, 2009 8:14 PM EST
What happened to the version of her story where she brought ALL her children together and they unanimously voted that she should not only run but "hell, yeah!" run?

This woman lives in a magical kingdom all her own. What's scary is that people such as smac761 don't care in spite of claiming an interest in keeping "the government (even your heroes) accountable."

If she can't even tell a simple story about an event like this without repeatedly changing key facts, what on earth could she do with something of national or international importance?
Reply to this comment
by mevans112 November 17, 2009 9:47 AM EST
Oh, SO right you are! Just imagine PALIN and McCain in the White House...one makes up stories and the other, well, we know where this is going....I won't go there...GOD BLESS AMERICA and GOD BLESS OUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF, PRESIDENT OBAMA!
by stn_sage November 16, 2009 8:04 PM EST
LMAO! This woman is a HOOT!

So, in other words, she gave THREE different answers, at three different times, to three different 'interview' sources! Take your pick!

This is classic Palin! And, if she'd give 'false and misleading responses' to such a simple question, how is she likely to respond to something that is going to put her 'on the spot'? Uh-huh.

I'm sorry, but she's NOT presidential material, folks!
Reply to this comment
by Katielu2 November 16, 2009 7:26 PM EST
Who were the two people in the room that confirmed this???
Reply to this comment
by Scooter2009 November 16, 2009 7:21 PM EST
This woman needs to got atke care of her family. She is a cartoon character at best......if this is the best the Republican party can do...they are in really deep crap ! I speak as a moderate conservative, who became an Independent some years ago due to the way the Republicans were leaning. .......they are becoming a joke.......and this woman is just foolishness.
Reply to this comment
by smac761 November 16, 2009 7:03 PM EST
Wow! You got her in a big one- awesome journalism. You rock (not). Instead of trying to discredit people and positions that don't align with your own view, why don't you be a true journalist. Find real stories, get facts, inform, keep the government (even your heroes) accountable???
Reply to this comment
by casins November 16, 2009 6:59 PM EST
sarah is a lot smarter than anyone on your cbs staff,it seems your commie leaning station can't handle someone that is smarter and more experienced that the clown that you help put in the white house!
Reply to this comment
by AOCGUY November 16, 2009 7:52 PM EST
You have got to be kidding! I have no doubt that if young sarah would knuckle down and focus on her studies instead of boys she her grades would come up and she would be a passable student. Her inability to play nice with the other boys and girls and her tendancy to not tell the truth do not bode well for her and her future aspirataions. AT least for now it doesn't appear that she will be advancing along with the rest of her class.
by 50BMS13 November 16, 2009 10:34 PM EST
casins
Good post. Very true. This is a liberal site. To be expected. Can't take too much seriously here. Same as FOX is the other way. Truth is in the middle somewhere. But Palin has hurt no one and she is hated. Envy and jealousy is all I can think it is. Katie Couric will never be asked to be a VP of the USA. Pailin has though. Must hurt liberals huh?
See all 25 Comments

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