First Excepts from Today's Gibson Interview of Palin; No "Gaffes" Noted, Except for the "Gaffe" of Being Pro-Military and Pro-Muscular Defense

I'll quote some in a bit, just reading it now...

Palin defended a previous statement in which she reportedly characterized the war in Iraq as "task from God".

Gibson quoted her as saying: "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God."

But Palin said she was referencing a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln.

"I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words. But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side."

Incidentally, that's not spin, that's exactly what she said. The AP Dowdified her quote to take away the part about praying that we are on God's side to make it sound like she was simply saying "We're on God's side."

GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God."

PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.

GIBSON: 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 God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.

Not exact words, Gibson. She said (paraphrase) "Let us pray that our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." The AP cut off the beginning off that, and of course all the idiots in the MSM repeat it.

And then Gibson says, "Exact words."

Hot Air is on this of course. Here's AllahPundit on it, back when the AP began Dowdifying the quote:

" 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 [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God,” she exhorted the congregants. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”

Here’s what the AP turns it into:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a “task that is from God.”…

“Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God,” she said. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God’s plan.”

Contact ABCNews immediately to demand a correction. This isn't an arguable mistake; it's a complete, provable mistake. And Gibson doubles down on "exact words."

Sorry, Gibson-- exact words means exact words. And if you're going to edit out key words and transform a statement from one meaning to another, that's not even close to "exact."

Greg Gutfied on Why They Hate Her: It's funny because it's true. [CJ]

Write Charlie Gibson: Ask him what "exact words" means, especially when the words are deliberately Dowdified in order to make Sarah Palin's explanation implausible.

With the censored words included, her explanation makes perfect sense-- in fact, it's pretty inarguable.

So ask them if "exact words" now means something else in the ABCNews stylebook.

posted by Ace at 05:44 PM

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