Palin: Couric was "Badgering" and Biased
The rumors are true, according to Sarah Palin: The McCain-Palin campaign was not a happy family.
In Palin's new memoir, "Going Rogue," she confirms reports of tension between her aides and those of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. The vice presidential candidate confirms that she had wanted to speak on election night, but was denied the chance and says she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign.
Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as "badgering" and biased. Palin's series of interviews with Couricwere widely regarded as disastrous, leaving the impression of an ill-informed candidate who was unsuited for the job.
The 413-page book with 16 pages of color photos but no index comes out Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Associated Press purchased a copy Thursday. "Going Rogue," with a first printing of 1.5 million copies, has been at or near the top of Amazon.com and other best-seller lists for weeks, ever since publisher HarperCollins announced that the book had been completed quickly and the release date was being moved up from next spring.
The book follows Palin from childhood to her departure last summer as Alaska governor. It includes much of what her admirers, and detractors, expected: tributes to family and faith and patriotism, and attacks against the media and other perceived opponents.
She writes about the "jaded aura" of professional campaign aides and how McCain's entourage limited her access to the media, leading to allegations - unfounded, she says - that she was avoiding reporters.
And she says that most of her legal bills were generated defending what she called frivolous ethics complaints, but she reveals that about one-tenth of the $500,000 was a bill she received to pay for the McCain campaign vetting her for the VP nod.
She said when she asked the McCain campaign if it would help her financially, she was told McCain's camp would have paid all the bills if he'd won; since he lost, the vetting legal bills were her responsibility.
Written with Lynn Vincent, "Going Rogue" is folksy in tone and homespun. For example, Palin says her efforts to award a license for a massive natural gas transmission line through Alaska was turning a pipe dream into a pipeline. She writes in awe about how the McCain campaign had hired a New York stylist who had also worked on Couric.
Taken aback by all the fussing, she wondered who was paying for the $150,000 worth of fancy clothes given to her and her family members by the campaign. Family members were told it was being taken care of or was "part of the convention." The designer clothing, hairstyling and accessories later grew into a controversy.
Palin shares behind-the-scene moments when the nation learned her teen daughter Bristol was pregnant, how she rewrote the statement prepared for her by the McCain campaign - only to watch in horror as a TV news anchor read the original McCain camp statement, which, in Palin's view, glarmorized and endorsed her daughter's situation.
Palin laments that she wasn't allowed to bring up loads of family members to the stage while McCain gave his election night concession speech, the vice presidential candidate having found out minutes earlier that she wouldn't be permitted to give her own speech.
She writes that ABC newsman Charles Gibson, who had an early interview with her, seemed bored by "substantive issues" stemming from her time as governor and that while speaking with her he "peered skeptically" at her over his glasses like a disapproving principal.
She writes at length about Couric. She says that the idea to meet with Couric came from McCain campaign aide Nicolle Wallace, who told Palin that Couric - also a working mother - liked and admired her. It would be a favor to Couric, too, whom Palin notes had the lowest ratings of the network anchors. Wallace said Couric suffered from low self-esteem. And Palin replied that she almost began to "feel sorry" for Couric.
She alleges that Couric and CBS left out her more "substantive" remarks and settled for "gotcha" moments. She writes that Couric had a "partisan agenda" and a condescending manner. Couric was "badgering," biased and far easier on Couric's Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden (watch the full Couric/Palin interview).
She writes warmly of her childhood and her mother's "nurturing, hospitable" personality. Her priorities were set early - faith (she would read Scripture each night before bed), hunting, current events and sports (she even dreamed of being a broadcaster alongside Howard Cosell). She remembers being a voracious reader, favorites including John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" and George Orwell's "Animal Farm." Long before Tina Fey parodied her on "Saturday Night Live," Palin enjoyed watching the show as a girl.
She met her future husband, Todd Palin, in 1982. He was good-looking and mature, like no one she had ever known. He was quiet, gruff, strong, spiritual.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In Palin's new memoir, "Going Rogue," she confirms reports of tension between her aides and those of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. The vice presidential candidate confirms that she had wanted to speak on election night, but was denied the chance and says she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign.
Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as "badgering" and biased. Palin's series of interviews with Couricwere widely regarded as disastrous, leaving the impression of an ill-informed candidate who was unsuited for the job.
The 413-page book with 16 pages of color photos but no index comes out Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Associated Press purchased a copy Thursday. "Going Rogue," with a first printing of 1.5 million copies, has been at or near the top of Amazon.com and other best-seller lists for weeks, ever since publisher HarperCollins announced that the book had been completed quickly and the release date was being moved up from next spring.
The book follows Palin from childhood to her departure last summer as Alaska governor. It includes much of what her admirers, and detractors, expected: tributes to family and faith and patriotism, and attacks against the media and other perceived opponents.
She writes about the "jaded aura" of professional campaign aides and how McCain's entourage limited her access to the media, leading to allegations - unfounded, she says - that she was avoiding reporters.
And she says that most of her legal bills were generated defending what she called frivolous ethics complaints, but she reveals that about one-tenth of the $500,000 was a bill she received to pay for the McCain campaign vetting her for the VP nod.
She said when she asked the McCain campaign if it would help her financially, she was told McCain's camp would have paid all the bills if he'd won; since he lost, the vetting legal bills were her responsibility.
Written with Lynn Vincent, "Going Rogue" is folksy in tone and homespun. For example, Palin says her efforts to award a license for a massive natural gas transmission line through Alaska was turning a pipe dream into a pipeline. She writes in awe about how the McCain campaign had hired a New York stylist who had also worked on Couric.
Taken aback by all the fussing, she wondered who was paying for the $150,000 worth of fancy clothes given to her and her family members by the campaign. Family members were told it was being taken care of or was "part of the convention." The designer clothing, hairstyling and accessories later grew into a controversy.
Palin shares behind-the-scene moments when the nation learned her teen daughter Bristol was pregnant, how she rewrote the statement prepared for her by the McCain campaign - only to watch in horror as a TV news anchor read the original McCain camp statement, which, in Palin's view, glarmorized and endorsed her daughter's situation.
Palin laments that she wasn't allowed to bring up loads of family members to the stage while McCain gave his election night concession speech, the vice presidential candidate having found out minutes earlier that she wouldn't be permitted to give her own speech.
She writes that ABC newsman Charles Gibson, who had an early interview with her, seemed bored by "substantive issues" stemming from her time as governor and that while speaking with her he "peered skeptically" at her over his glasses like a disapproving principal.
She writes at length about Couric. She says that the idea to meet with Couric came from McCain campaign aide Nicolle Wallace, who told Palin that Couric - also a working mother - liked and admired her. It would be a favor to Couric, too, whom Palin notes had the lowest ratings of the network anchors. Wallace said Couric suffered from low self-esteem. And Palin replied that she almost began to "feel sorry" for Couric.
She alleges that Couric and CBS left out her more "substantive" remarks and settled for "gotcha" moments. She writes that Couric had a "partisan agenda" and a condescending manner. Couric was "badgering," biased and far easier on Couric's Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden (watch the full Couric/Palin interview).
She writes warmly of her childhood and her mother's "nurturing, hospitable" personality. Her priorities were set early - faith (she would read Scripture each night before bed), hunting, current events and sports (she even dreamed of being a broadcaster alongside Howard Cosell). She remembers being a voracious reader, favorites including John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" and George Orwell's "Animal Farm." Long before Tina Fey parodied her on "Saturday Night Live," Palin enjoyed watching the show as a girl.
She met her future husband, Todd Palin, in 1982. He was good-looking and mature, like no one she had ever known. He was quiet, gruff, strong, spiritual.
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Is this news now? Katie Couric is a biased, left-wing loon, who will "badger" anyone who does not agree with her twisted, liberal ideology. So sorry the nation has these liberal loons reading the news. CBS is off my list for fair reporting.
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Wow! You are right! Katie asking those doggone liberal media
questions like "What magazines / newspapers do you read" ....
"CBS is off your list for fair reporting????"
Could you also exclude them from your list of internet sites to peruse ????
BTW ... any member of Sarah's fan club has NO PLACE calling anybody a "loon".
Sara Palin is the new 'Joan of Ark', God has sent us a Saint to save our country.
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I am guessing you meant "Joan of ARC". A Saint indeed .... the first
saint (that I am aware of, anyway) who lies like a drunken sailor .....
Let the public decide if there was badgering or mistreatment. Then it will be who are you going to believe me or your lying eyes.
But no, there's no liberal bias in the Media.
I mean, if Dan Quayle had said he had been to 57 states with one to go, the Media would still be bringing it up today.
But their messiah Obama said it, and it's ignored.
Do you think that would work if she were President, and that phone call came at 3 AM?
Anyway, Katie then turned to Sarah and asked her that since she had never set foot out of the US where did her opinions and ideas about the rest of the world come from--Palin replied "from books, and from reading the news". After that interview about 2 interviews later, Katie asked Sarah just what books, mags and newspapers she read. This was necessary because by then, Palin looked like an uninformed rube or airhead and many wanted to know where her version of the world was coming from. When asked what she read--Palin knew it must be a trap so she said "all of them, whatever was put in front of her" Put in front of her by whom? ALL of them? There are literally thousands of choices. It is not a surprise that Palin did not name any books or newspapers--had she done so, she would have been confronted and most likely quizzed on various articles that contradicted the international information or government information she butchered and would have shown that if she read--it was not those articles or she lacked reading comprehension. It was obvious she was trying to avoid a trap.
It was also obvious, that by the way the McCain camp shielded her from the media that Palin was NOT ready for prime time and what they delayed by hiding her would be revealed--that pretty or not, likeable or not--Palin was not suited for either President, Vice President , Governor or any leadership role in government that required actual thinking. Repulbicans like her due to her folksy attitude and her looks, unfortunately the world does not run on folksiness and is not folksy and pretty is not enough when a country is at stake.
Palin was also great at zingers--and might have fared better if she knew what she was talking about as well as delivering one liners or just making fun or her opponents. What was apparent to all of us--Independents as well as party adherents--was that this woman was not picked for either brains, knowledge or will and that if chosen, at best she could only be a puppet for other agendas--maybe Todds. He seems to gravitate toward treason and secessionist type of politics, and they say as governor, SArah practically lived each meeting getting her instructions from him on her Blackberry ...while she would relay what was going on in meetings and then he would tell her what position to take.
I question the sagacity of Obama's positions and the Dem approach to government--but in the case of McCain and Palin--"possible disaster at the hands of the Dems would have been a sure bet under senior doofus 1 and his not ready for prime time side kick."