A local TV reporter in Portland Maine who would neither give up nor get side-tracked when interviewing John McCain has done more than most national TV journalists have ever managed in such interviews - helped us glimpse that there are no clothes on the emperor. McCain is so obvious that the effect is utterly bizarre.
This very short clip [less than 1 1/2 minutes] is included at about 15:15 in the September 12, 2008 broadcast of Bill Moyers' Journal. Apparently the McCain interview was broadcast in Maine on September 11th. Transcript [as best I could] - below the jump.
The interviewer is determined to find some example of Palin's qualifications on the foreign policy issue of Islamic extremism - and he will not be deterred.
The result is priceless.
I provide the link as this appears the only way to get this clip out there.
http://www.pbs.org/...
Transcript:
[Split screen with Portland, Maine TV reporter on left and John McCain on Right]
REPORTER [Rob Cauldwell]: Let’s move on to [McCAIN: "sure"] what you say is the #1 issue facing the United States in our time, and that is, the challenge of addressing Islamic extremism -
– very short pause - [two-screen view shows McCain listening, not disputing this]
What credentials does Governor Palin have in Natl Security, diplomacy, foreign policy – that qualify her to be your partner - in that – on that issue – the fight against Islamist extremism?
McCAIN: Well, obviously, the economy is also a major challenge – facing America
REPORTER – Well, you know, I’m - I’m using your words [McCAIN "yeah"], Senator McCain {McCAIN "sure, yeah"]– you have said – this summer, that the number one [McCAIN: "I said that.."] – the number one challenge : [McCAIN: "no I said.."] of our time– is Islamist extremism
McCAIN – I said the great – I said the greatest challenge of our time is National Security threats and I’ve also said that jobs and the economy are the number one issue facing America, so..- but the point is that – Governor Palin was right on the issues
REPORTER You say your sure she has the experience - but again I’m just asking you for an example {"sure"] – what experience does she have, in the field of National Security?
McCAIN: Energy
http://www.pbs.org/...
If others are able to get / find this on YouTube, McCain's deer-in-the-headlights look and his perverse insistence on sticking to unrelated talking points is worth its weight in gold.
very W.
[Moyers BTW also includes a segment on Right Wing shock jocks, with a frightening series of clips of hate speech preceding the Unitarian Church murders, and comments that some of the same terms - such as "cockroaches" - were used on the radio in the lead up to the Rwandan massacres]