In her first post-nomination interview, Governor Sarah Palin was confronted by ABC's Charlie Gibson with the following question:
"You said recently, in your old church, 'Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from G-d.' Are we fighting a holy war?"
The record after this is a little confusing because ABC has edited the video and their transcripts several times, before and after it first aired. They posted a variety of video excerpts and so-called transcripts on the internet, none of which accurately reflect the full discussion between Governor Palin and Charlie Gibson. It is amazing how ABC has tried to obscure what really happened to hide the obvious mistakes they made in the editing and presentation of Governor Palin's positions.
Some commentators have noted that Gibson's question and quote were "out of context," but they do not point out the obvious intellectual dishonesty at play. In all likelihood most commentators have not listened to nor read the real interview (almost impossible to find anymore) or to the Governor's complete at her former church. This is not some subtle nuanced contextual point, but a serious case of fabrication through selective editing and rewriting of the Governor's words.
This is what was and was not broadcast on Thursday 9/11 on The ABC World News. The words highlighted in italics were not included in the broadcast, but they do appear in various ABC released transcripts and video excerpts:
GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from G-d."
(In some versions, a video is then shown of the Governor making impromptu remarks at her former church, but in every version ABC dishonestly omits the end of her statement highlighted below in italics. This full uncut eight minute video is what she actually said and can be seen here, with the Iraq/G-d portion between 3:10 and 3:45.)
In some versions, not the one initially broadcast on 9/11, Governor Palin is seen at an impromptu talk at her former church. "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right; also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from G-d; that's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is G-d's plan."
None of the ABC versions include the last phrase in italics. In other versions, the video is completely excluded so all the viewers hear is Gibson saying, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from G-d.")
GIBSON: Are we fighting a holy war?
PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.
GIBSON: It's (the) exact words.
PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said — first, he suggested never presume to know what G-d's will is, and I would never presume to know G-d's will or to speak G-d's words.
But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that G-d is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on G-d's side.
That's what that comment was all about, Charlie. And I do believe, though, that this war against extreme Islamic terrorists is the right thing. It's an unfortunate thing, because war is hell and I hate war, and, Charlie, today is the day that I send my first born, my son, my teenage son overseas with his Stryker brigade, 4,000 other wonderful American men and women, to fight for our country, for democracy, for our freedoms.
Charlie, those are freedoms that too many of us just take for granted. I hate war and I want to see war ended. We end war when we see victory, and we do see victory in sight in Iraq.
GIBSON: I take your point about Lincoln's words , but you went on and said, "There is a plan and it is G-d's plan."
PALIN: I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are G-d-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That, in my world view, is a grand — the grand plan.
GIBSON: But then are you sending your son on a task that is from G-d?
PALIN: I don't know if the task is from G-d, Charlie. What I know is that my son has made a decision. I am so proud of his independent and strong decision he has made, what he decided to do and serving for the right reasons and serving something greater than himself and not choosing a real easy path where he could be more comfortable and certainly safer.
Besides leaving insightful comments from Governor Palin on the editing room floor, the most dishonest aspect of the presentation was ABC's purposeful omission of two phrases from her impromptu comments at her former church and the deliberate modification of her words to change her meaning altogether. If ABC had even attempted to be fair and impartial, they would have at least shown the Governor the complete video they claimed to be quoting from.
"Quoting out of context" is defined as "selective excerpting of words from their original linguistic context in a way that distorts the source's intended meaning." Gibson definitely quoted the Governor out of context, but then he went further and fraudulently rewrote her words to drastically change the idea she was expressing.
As quoted above, this is what she said (the portions ABC edited out are struck through):
"
Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right; also, for this country, that our leaders,
our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from G-d;
that's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is G-d's plan."
But all Charlie Gibson quoted in his initial question was "Our national leaders are sending
them out
[U.S. soldiers] on a task that is from G-d" This would be quoting "out of context," and a not so subtle example except he went further and changed "sending them out" to "sending U.S. soldiers" to better fit his false stand alone statement.
Then after the Governor (without benefit of the video of her impromptu remarks) explained her point by referring to the famous Lincoln quote, Gibson takes his fabrication to a much higher level. He states, "I take your point about Lincoln's words , but you went on and said, 'There is a plan and it is G-d's plan.'"
This is the only time Gibson quotes a portion of the final phrase in Governor Palin's statement, but he conveniently omits the key point, "that's what we have to make sure that we're praying for." She never once declared "There is a plan and it is G-d's plan." Instead, as a religious believer speaking to fellow believers in a church, Governor Palin recommended that she and they all pray "that there is a plan and that that plan is G-d's plan."
Note how after omitting the opening point about praying, he edited out the words "that that plan" and replaced them with "it." The result in not an out of context quote - it is fraud. "…
that's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan
[it] is G-d's plan."
ABC obviously realizes the seriousness of this fraud, and they have attempted to cover-up their dishonesty. Most of the posted videos have been re-edited, and they even omitted this complete topic from what they now title "Gov. Sarah Palin: The Full Interview,". which they broadcast on Friday night Sept. 12 on their 20/20 broadcast. Interestingly, the so-called "Full Interview" also omits Gibson's now discredited question about "The Bush Doctrine." The so-called Full Interview is available online here.
But neither ABC nor Charlie Gibson has issued a public apology for this affront to Governor Palin and all religious people of the United States who they tried to defame with their dishonest portrayal. If only they accepted the concept of shame, we could say Shame on You!
