To the Editor:
This past week, Republican Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska made a campaign stop in Bangor. As it happened I missed the local news that evening but hoped to catch some coverage on the “207” program of WSCH, Channel 6.
They had interviewed McCain and Obama in similar circumstances. Host Kathleen Shannon reported WSCH had requested an interview, but that the Governor’s political team agreed only on condition that her team chose the reporter to conduct the interview. To the station’s credit, they declined under this restriction. I was incredulous.
Governor Palin is running potentially for the highest office of our country. She was, until picked by Senator McCain, a relative unknown to most Americans. Interviews are one way to gain some insight into who she is, her positions, her knowledge on key issues.
To date she has had but a handful of interviews, most of which raise legitimate questions about her qualifications to be Vice President, let alone to possibly inhabit the Oval Office.
Tellingly, her handlers apparently were not sufficiently confident that Governor Palin would adequately handle a local television interview unless it was controlled. If her Republican team has so little confidence and faith in her ability to acquit herself well in this situation, why should she be trusted with the second highest office in the land?
Over the weekend one pundit quipped that “Joe the Plumber” has had more interviews than Sarah Palin. The snippets of his media encounters showed a fair-minded, thoughtful, articulate, engaged individual. Too bad we haven’t seen similar characteristics exhibited by Sarah Palin.
In the end, I concluded that unscripted interviews are the political equivalent of a pop quiz in school. I hated pop quizzes because I was usually unprepared. Sarah Palin is similarly unprepared. Although in many respects she is a decent, politically savvy, compassionate person, she is in my opinion unprepared for the office of Vice President.
Martha Lynch
Newcastle
