Palin Interview With Couric, Part II

I've been taking a break, for the most part, from Palin stories. Even Palinmania wasn't big enough to push the current economic issues off the front page. I missed the first Palin-Couric interview; by most accounts it was a poor performance by Palin. The general consensus was that McCain handlers try to cram as many soundbites into her head as possible and in the end she came off sounding confused.

The second part of the interview aired and it is interesting to see what people focus on. Hot Air notes this:

Remember, the rap on Palin is that she’s supposedly a “Christianist” nut ready to impose theocracy at the first opportunity. Here we learn that she supports contraception; doesn’t want to punish abortion with jail time; supports teaching evolution as “an accepted principle” and may very well oppose teaching creationism (it’s ambiguous); and reaffirms that she doesn’t judge gays, partly because she’s had a close friend who’s gay for decades.

With a summary like that, one might wonder what the media will pick up on to damage her before the debate. Have no fear, the Corner found it:

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

Did Couric actually ask her to name some newspapers? I'm sure the spin will be "Oh my God, Palin can't read," but her answer is spot on. It's pretty typical for executives, even of large corporations let alone government positions, to get summaries of media collected and presented to them. You hardly have the time as President to say, I think I am going to thumb through the New York Times from front page to the last want-ad this morning. Of course, I wish Palin has said she got all her information online, but nobody has the guts to say that to a member of the media (yet).