In First Big Interview, Palin Says 'I'm Ready' for the Job

Kudos to Charles Gibson for doing his job -- and it appears that, even with round-the-clock preparation, Palin wasn't up to it:

It was perhaps the most confident answer she supplied in a sometimes tense and generally probing interview with Mr. Gibson. It was her first session with a major news organization since she joined Mr. McCain’s Republican ticket two weeks ago and was immediately transformed from an obscure, first-term governor to a national political star.

At times visibly nervous, at others appearing to hew so closely to prepared answers that she used the exact same phrases repeatedly, Ms. Palin most visibly stumbled when she was asked by Mr. Gibson if she agreed with the Bush doctrine. Ms. Palin did not seem to know what he was talking about. Mr. Gibson, sounding like an impatient teacher, informed her that it meant the right of “anticipatory self-defense.”

Otherwise, there were no obvious gaffes during the grilling by Mr. Gibson, who was facing pressure of his own to move Ms. Palin beyond her stump speech to reveal more about her readiness for high office and knowledge of world and domestic affairs.

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In First Big Interview, Palin Says ‘I’m Ready’ for the Job

By JIM RUTENBERG

Published: September 11, 2008

www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/us/politics/12palin.html

For the last two weeks, Democrats and even some Republicans have asked: Does Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska have enough experience to hold the second-highest office in the nation, or the presidency if the need arises?