Back At It

After a day that the campaigns suspended activity for the sake of honoring the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Barack Obama's campaign debuted a fierce attack ad against the Maverick. It paints him as out of touch with the times, even suggesting he is still living in 1982, the first year he was sent to Washington.

It hammers him for statements he made in a summer interview in which he admitted he does not know too much about computers and can not send an email. Obama's campaign manager stated “Today is the first day of the rest of the campaign”. I think it is abundantly clear what type of mudslinging contest the liberals will make this election into.

Sarah Palin's first interview last night received mixed reviews, even with Charlie Gibson's unrelenting and sometimes misleading questions. He set several traps but the Governor was able to side step them and speak with the seriousness and conviction that has adhered her to a growing number of supporters.

Of course, the Associated Press put a liberal spin on the interview and led off with the headline "Palin Does Not Rule Out War Option With Russia" shortly following its conclusion.

This is very misleading as Gibson posed a hypothetical situation of Georgia joining NATO and then being attacked by imperialist Russia and Putin. Palin simply said that it is the responsibility of NATO nations to fight against aggression if one of its members should fall under attack.

Her "straight-talk" against Iran was very impressive as well. Gibson tried to lay a trap when he posed yet another hypothetical: Would you support Israel if it attacked missile sites in Iran?
Palin promptly replied that we must not second guess the right Israel has to defend itself.

Of course The New York Times had a different opinion, with a headline "Palin Shows Confidence, In Prepared Answers". Allesandra Stanley writes the article and argues that Palin sticks to talking points and can not come up with answers on the spot. Stanley writes "At times, her voice hesitated, and she looked like a student trying to bend prepared answers to fit unexpected questions."

Part two is tonight and while I hope Charlie will ask the questions with a much less "gotcha" style I don't see him easing up at all. But after watching Sarah Barracuda's performance last night, I think I can speak for all of her supporters in saying "Bring It On".