Carrie Wigal

I saw a clip of Sarah Palin’s interview with Charles Gibson this morning on Good Morning America and I was annoyed. First, I will admit I am a fan of Sarah Palin for many reasons, but I think I can be reasonably objective about this exchange concerning “The Bush Doctrine”.

What is the purpose of interviews such as these? Is it to really learn more about the person being interviewed? Or is it to demonstrate who has the power to make a guest squirm in his/her seat?

When Mr. Gibson asked Governor Palin, “Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?” it appeared to me like he was trying to manipulate her. If he really wanted to know what she thought about a “pre-emptive strike” policy, then why didn’t he just ask that question outright?

The question he posed was a trick question. There is no universally acknowledged single meaning.

Then, when she responded with “in what respect, Charlie?” instead of clarifying what he was referring to, he changed the question to ask what she interpreted “the Bush doctrine, enunciated September 2002, before the Iraq war” to be.

Okay, I’m sorry, but this sounds to me like a total set-up. What “Bush doctrine” was enunciated in September 2002?

Here’s my question to the average American…Do you know what the “Bush doctrine” is? Go ahead, ask your spouse, co-worker or the next person you pass on the street. If they do not know the answer, then that further demonstrates this was a lousy interview question. Why would people care about what Governor Palin thinks about “the Bush Doctrine” if they don’t even know what that is?

My advice to the next interviewer that lands a major media opportunity such as Mr. Charlie Gibson had yesterday: Ask a question the American people want to know the answer to. If the American people don’t even know what you’re talking about when you pose the question, then perhaps you better clarify the question for the sake of all those listening.

But of course, instead of accepting the fact that the interviewer made a gaffe by posing such a question in this manner, the “spin” is Governor Palin lacks the necessary experience to be VP or possibly President should the need arise. I didn’t realize reading minds was a prerequisite for leading the nation.

Read more of what many in the media (including Mr. Charlie Gibson) has “defined” the Bush doctrine to be since September 2001.

C’mon media people…do your jobs! It’s abundantly clear you can have all the experience in the world and still not manage to do the job right. Ask honest straight-forward questions. If you’re afraid of the answers you might get, then get another job.