Friday, September 12, 2008

That Interview   [Jay Nordlinger]

Charlie Gibson, dripping with condescension, said, “And you didn’t say to yourself, ‘Am I experienced enough? Am I ready? Do I know enough about international affairs? Do I — will I feel comfortable enough on the national stage to do this?’” Palin answered, “I didn’t hesitate, no.”

Look, if a Charlie Gibson type had talked that way in 1984, to Ferraro, he would have been flayed for condescension. (Remember when Vice President Bush said to her, in debate, “Let me help you with that, Mrs. Ferraro”? He was flayed.) But Palin’s a conservative — so no problem. The usual feminist chorus won’t object.

Then Gibson said to her, “Didn’t that take some hubris?” Obviously, the man does not know what the word “hubris” means. But a reader of ours had a sharp point: In Obama’s camp, they call it “audacity.”

Here was Sarah’s problem — one of them — in this interview, as far as I can tell: She didn’t dance around and deflect enough; she tried to answer each question directly and honestly. She’ll learn. Won’t she?

09/12 08:55 AMShare