About that TV interview with Charles Gibson of ABC back in Sept. 2008...
This posting is a continuation of a previous posting, "Beauty and the Beast", about a little-known radio interview done with Sarah Palin by a local radio station in Anchorage back in January 2010.
Interviewer: Do you mind if I go back to something that I'm sure you consider to be ancient history now? Do you remember that TV interview you did with Charles Gibson for ABC? Is it OK if we talk about that, Sarah?
Palin: Yeah, sure, whatever. That was a great moment for me, my first TV interview on national TV, just after John McCain had selected me as his running-mate.
Interviewer: Right! Now the thing that everyone focused on was that question about the Bush Doctrine, where Charles Gibson asked you, "Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?", and you just sort of froze up for almost three seconds, and then you said "In what respect, Charlie?" Now, I'm wondering, what was that all about? Like, most people assumed it was because you didn't know what Charles Gibson was talking about, but you know, there was something about your body language that, well, what happened there?
Palin: Yeah, well, that was kind of embarassing. I don't know if I should tell you - ah, what the heck, nobody listens to your silly program anyway, so here goes: You see, I misunderstood Charlie Gibson! I thought he said something else, and it was, well, I couldn't believe he was asking me what I thought he was asking me, so that's why I freaked out. Anyway, fortunately he fed me a follow-up question, and then it dawned on me - the "Bush Doctrine"! That's what he was asking me about!
Interviewer: OK, so you misunderstood Charles Gibson, but what was it you thought he said?
Palin: OK, this is a bit embarassing, like I said, but you know in my family the guys, Todd and Track, what they always say when one of us womenfolk have to visit the gynecologist, they say, "time for some bush doctorin' again?" They think they're so funny! And I just couldn't believe that Charlie Gibson was asking me about that on national TV!