Palin Faces Defining Moment
CBSNews.com Reports: Debate Performance May Dictate Whether V.P. Candidate Will Be Permanently Defined By Recent Stumbles
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Palin On Foreign Policy
"Exclusive": Katie Couric talks with Gov. Sarah Palin about her foreign policy experience and Alaska's proximity to Russia.
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McCain, Palin On Flak
John McCain and Sarah Palin talk with Katie Couric about Palin's view on cross border attacks in Pakistan. Palin reacts to the criticism of some GOP members who want her to step down.
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Palin On Biden Age Comment
Exclusive: Sarah Palin explains a facetious comment she made about Joe Biden's years in the Senate. Watch Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin tonight on the CBS Evening News.
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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, left, smiles as his choice for his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, pumps her fist as she is introduced to supporters at a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2008 (AP)
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Timeline
Palin's Path
A look at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's life and career
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Photo Essay
Sarah Palin
Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.
A month ago, in the afterglow of the GOP convention, the buzz on John McCain's surprise decision to tap Sarah Palin as his running mate was largely positive.
The Republican base, long skeptical of McCain, suddenly had its champion, a politician whose conservative views and unpretentious style made her easy to rally around. Women, some of whom maintained lingering anger over Hillary Clinton's loss in the Democratic primary, once again had a female face vying for their support. And everyday Americans, weary from a long campaign, had a new star: A striking young governor with a tabloid-friendly family and the sort of personal magnetism that made Barack Obama seem a bit like last season's celebrity.
At the time, it looked like McCain's gamble was paying off: In a post-convention survey earlier this month, the GOP ticket took its first lead over its Democratic counterpart in CBS News general election polling.
Following her successful entry onto the national stage, however, Palin has struggled. Though she continues to attract large crowds on the campaign trail and delight social conservatives, her performance in the past few weeks has raised questions, even among conservatives, about whether McCain made a wise choice.
As a result, Thursday's vice presidential debate is shaping up as a career-defining moment for Palin, one that could dictate whether she is ultimately remembered as the GOP's election-year savior or as an overwhelmed neophyte who never belonged on the national stage.
Conscious of the importance of Thursday's face-off with Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, Palin is in the midst of three days of intense debate preparation with McCain aides at the Arizona senator's Sedona ranch.
Though some believe that expectations have grown so low that Palin is virtually guaranteed to exceed them Thursday, there is a growing sense that the Alaska governor must do something positive to counteract the increasingly negative perception of her amongst opinion leaders.
"A week ago, for her to just not drool on herself and be commanding would have been enough," said CBS News consultant and former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers. "I don't think that's really true anymore."
"The bar has gone up for her," said Myers. "I don't think it's quite enough for her now to just get through it. She needs to show some mastery of a topic."
Palin has been widely criticized for her performance in interviews with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric and ABC World News anchor Charlie Gibson, which yielded moments such as Palin's tortured defense of her claim that Alaska's proximity to Russia stands as a foreign-policy credential in an interview with Couric.
In the wake of that interview, conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, arguing that her "cringe reflex is exhausted," called on Palin to voluntarily leave the ticket. Palin has also received less-than-positive notices from conservatives such as David Frum, Rich Lowry and David Brooks, who called her candidacy "embarrassing," and been mocked on late-night comedy shows and cable news networks.
Criticism has also been leveled at Palin's handlers, who have limited the media's access to the Alaska governor to such a degree that the press briefly rebelled against the campaign's tight limits on access. Conservative columnist William Kristol suggested Monday that Palin needs to be "liberated" from "the former Bush aides brought in to handle her," arguing that the candidate should be freed "to use her political talents and to communicate in her own voice." That's a sentiment that has been echoed by other Republicans as well.
“Holding Sarah Palin to just three interviews and microscopically focusing on each interview I think has been a mistake," Mitt Romney, the former GOP presidential candidate, said in a television interview Monday. (Palin also spoke to Fox News' Sean Hannity.) "I think they’d be a lot wiser to let Sarah Palin be Sarah Palin."
In the CBS News poll taken just after the GOP convention, Palin's favorable rating stood at 44 percent, while her unfavorable rating was just 22 percent; by last week, her favorable rating had fallen to 37 percent while her unfavorable rating had risen to 29 percent.
Dan Bartlett, a CBS News consultant and former counselor for President Bush, said that Palin will likely benefit from lowered expectations Thursday.
"I do think the bar has been lowered and people will generally be surprised if she is able to string together several sentences on a topic, and I think she will be able to meet that minimum bar," he said. But, he adds, she "needs to have a couple moments where she demonstrates some knowledge that goes beyond the talking points."
Andrew Halcro, an Alaska politician who debated Palin more than two-dozen times, characterized Palin as a debater who is master of "the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality" in a column Tuesday.
"Her ability to fill the debate halls with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy," he wrote.
But while Palin's rhetorical gifts have helped her build a base of popular support that has stood by her even as elite opinion has shifted, they may not be enough to get her through a debate that detractors will be closely monitoring for evidence that she is not up to the office she seeks.
Palin thus faces a difficult balancing act: She must find a way to showcase the sort of policy knowledge that can help silence her critics while also showcasing the personal traits that made her such an asset to the GOP ticket in the first place.
The stakes are high, both for Palin, who is in danger of seeing her name forever linked to that of former vice president Dan Quayle, and for McCain, who last month took a big chance on the then-largely unknown Alaska governor.
"Because so many GOP opinion makers have concluded that Palin is not qualified, it becomes a question about McCain's decision," said Myers. "If she has a really bad performance, not only does it destroy her political future, but the discussion will become not about her future but about McCain's judgment."
By Brian Montopoli
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.





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See all 989 CommentsRepeates Infamous ''can see Russia from my house'' statement. Audience laughs uncontrollably.
The McCain "Campaign" is just stuffing her head, to the extent possible, with sound bitey chunks of verbiage meant to last the requisite 90 seconds for her "answers". This is quickly becoming a farce.
(I''m John McCain and I confused this message.)
Sarah is going to Stumble tomorrow night in front of millions and its going to hurt!
''there is a growing sense that the Alaska senator must do something positive to
''She''s a governor not a senator.
''
You represent what is wrong with America! How do you spell fool, FOOL!
YOU SHOULD BE CENSORED! YOU ARE IGNORANT AND DON''T KNOW IT!!!!!
THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW THAT MOST NEWS NETWORKS HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN KEEPING THE IMPRESSION AFLOAT TO THE DAY OF THE ELECTION THAT THERE IS ANY REAL SENSIBLE CHOICE HERE.
WHO MADE YOU WRITE THIS CR@P ANYWAY?
What you "Demos" need to know is if Joe Biden doesn''t nock her socks off his - long experience -Such as it is will really show just how shallow he is.
Appearing at a Senate Press Secretaries Association reception at the Cornerstone Government Affairs office, Will offered a harsh assessment of John McCain''s running mate.
Palin is "obviously not qualified to be President," he remarked, describing her interview on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric as a "disaster."
Recently on the Chris Matthews show, David Brooks said that Palin may be able to work up to mediocrity.
...Is this what the United States has come to that in such a complicated world we are willing to accept someone who has to work up to mediocrity? What happend to an expectation of excellence?
LOSE YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER FANTASIES AND VOTE WITH YOUR BRAIN.
jh3679, please type in the poll numbers for these fascists. Florida is +8 Obama, Ohio is now blue, Virginia is at 6 Obama. PA is 15, wisconsin is 7, etc. etc. Let them do the limbaugh bs. Hey''l be saluting President Obama in 3 1/2 months.
We''re talking landslide for Obama.
Posted by fenner at 10:23 AM : Oct 01, 2008
+
In particular Barney ( May I have a Fanny) Frank
Dear John it is not working in a margin of 2 to 1 Americans feel that the Republicans (the party of de-regulators) are too blame.
Nice try though keep up the this and you should see a true blood bath in congess.
Posted by Hwy71So at 10:30 AM : Oct 01, 2008
Don''t hold your breath. You''re in for a long wait.
Cheney, Rove, Bush and Megatron (aka Diebold) will be sure to do all possible to quash any lead that Obama may build, by any means. We are in for a naked effort to totally destroy the constitutional basis of our country, if not in this election, then in the next four-6 years.
FACT 2. OBAMA TRIED TO DIRECT SOME OF BAILOUT MONEY TO ACORN.
FACT 3. OBAMA LIED THAT JFK PAID HIS DAD''''S TICKET TO UNITED STATES
FACT 4. OBAMA LIED THAT HE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NAFTA-CANADIAN CONVERSATIONS
FACT 5. OBAMA LIED THAT HE WAS NEVER A MUSLIM WHEN HIS SCHOOL RECORDS SAY OTHERWISE
FACT 6. OBAMA LIED HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT REV. WRIGHT DESPITE CHURCHING WITH HIM FOR 20 YEARS.
FACT 7. OBAMA DENIED HE WAS A REZKO''''S PARTY
FACT 8. OBAMA VOTED AGANST MCCAINS PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS FANNIE-FREDDMACK SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL
FACT 9. OBAMA DID NOT PRESENT HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN HIS ANSWER TO LAWSUIT CHALLENGING IT.
FCT.10. OBAMA LIED THAT KISSINGER SAID HE WOULD MEET WITHOUT PRE-CONDIITONS.
FCT.11. OBAMA LIED THAT HE EVER SAID HE WOULD MEET WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS.
FCT.12. OBAMA TOOK MONEY FROM FAILING FANNIE, FREDDIEMACK AND HIRED THEIR PRINCIPALS
FCT.13 THREE GAY MEN IN CHICGO ARE DEAD AND THEY WERE ALL FRIENDS OF OBAMA''''S ... INTERESTING AT THE VERY LEAST.
FACT.14 OBAMA LIED THAT HIS CHILDREN WENT TO SCHOOL WITH WM. AYERS'''' CHILDREN.
FACT. 15. u bought it all!
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Posted by FENNER
The liberals will shoot this down and say thats all a lie, but if all these lies were tied to McCain then it would words spoken by God Himself! Wake up LIBS!
I''m not for McCain, but you are making Obama supporters look stupid. I''m still undecided about Obama.
This breaking news about how NObama prefers boys is really causing me to wonder.
After all, we real Americans all know how you hyphenated-American pervert worshippers are.
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Posted by NObama_SUX
They have kept her and Biden out of the spotlight. Biden is a risk everytime he opens his mouth anyway. All Palin has to do to win the debate is let him talk.
sorry it is Gallup that has obama down a point from yesterday.
(word is altho obama holding now a trend is developing that will diminish his numbers.)
Posted by fenner at 10:51 AM : Oct 01, 2008
Gee...We OBAMA supporters are really concerned about that....HAHAHAHAHAHA!
FACT 2. MCWHITEY TRIED TO DIRECT SOME OF BAILOUT MONEY TO THE FLDS.
FACT 3. MCWHITEY LIED THAT JFK PAID HIS DAD''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''S TICKET TO UNITED STATES
FACT 4. MCWHITEY LIED THAT HE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NAFTA-CANADIAN CONVERSATIONS
FACT 5. MCWHITEY LIED THAT HE WAS NEVER A FLDS MORMON PEDEPHILE WHEN HIS SCHOOL RECORDS SAY OTHERWISE
FACT 6. MCWHITEY LIED HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT REV. VOODOO DESPITE CHURCHING WITH HIM FOR 20 YEARS.
FACT 7. MCWHITEY DENIED HE WAS A KEATING 5 PARTY
FACT 8. MVWHITEY VOTED AGANST OBAMAS PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS FANNIE-FREDDMACK SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL
FACT 9. MCWHITEY DID NOT PRESENT HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN HIS ANSWER TO LAWSUIT CHALLENGING IT.
FCT.10. MCWHITEY LIED THAT KISSINGER SAID HE WOULD MEET WITHOUT PRE-CONDIITONS.
FCT.11. MCWHITEY LIED THAT HE EVER SAID HE WOULD MEET WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS.
FCT.12. MCWHITEY TOOK MONEY FROM FAILING FANNIE, FREDDIEMACK AND HIRED THEIR PRINCIPALS
FCT.13 THREE GAY MEN IN ARIZONA ARE DEAD AND THEY WERE ALL FRIENDS OF MCWHITEY ... INTERESTING AT THE VERY LEAST.
FACT.14 MCWHITEY LIED THAT HIS CHILDREN WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THE KEATING 5 CHILDREN.
FACT. 15. u bought it all!
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Posted by unfitsarah
wow
I''''m not for McCain, but you are making Obama supporters look stupid. I''''m still undecided about Obama.
Posted by sly_64 at 10:51 AM : Oct 01, 2008
Think about it. Is this person really an OBAMA supporter or is he or she a McCain supporter posing as an OBAMA supporter to cast a bad image of a OBAMA supporter to sway undecided voters? Don''t be misled by the dirty tricks these kind of people stoop to.
we can tell how unWORRIED you are from your nervous laughter....
Posted by fenner at 11:00 AM : Oct 01, 2008
Hey Fool, if that''s what you want to believe, have at it. Your delusions have no basis with reality ( A common trait among bushites ). Excuse me while I cut loose with some more of my ''nervous'' laughter....HAHAHAHAHA! OBAMA IN 08!!! ONLY 111 DAYS LEFT!!! ENJOY!!!
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