How CBS Handled The Palin Interview
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden will face off tonight in the only vice presidential debate of 2008.
Over the past week, Palin has appeared repeatedly on CBS News, but the exposure has not necessarily done her any favors.
Each new appearance brought halting answers from Palin during her interviews with Katie Couric. It's as if CBS was parceling out a gaffe a day.
Couric asked Palin about the McCain/Palin campaign manager; about McCain's record; and about Supreme Court rulings other than Roe v. Wade with which Palin did not agree. Palin did not name one ruling.
Saturday Night Live included one of her answers on the economy in a sketch last weekend — verbatim. Several conservative pundits called her unready for office.
CBS' Handling Of The Palin Interviews
So, did CBS really chop up the interview for maximum cringe value?
Here are the logistics: An interview from the campaign trail was scheduled long ago for Monday.
But last Wednesday, while in New York City, Palin gave Couric an interview on foreign policy, the economy and ethics questions surrounding McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. The interview was pegged to Palin's visit to the United Nations.
Hours later, McCain made headlines by saying that he would return to Washington, D.C., and suspend his campaign. McCain himself sat for an interview with Couric.
The network had too much news to handle at once, so it spread out last week's interview over two nights. It did the same for the interviews from the trail this week.
And there was a third element. Like Biden, Palin had already agreed to sit for a feature called vice presidential questions. The air date was Wednesday — the day before tonight's debate. That's when Palin was asked about Supreme Court rulings.
The result: On five separate newscasts over eight days, CBS broadcast interviews with Palin that featured embarrassing exchanges.
On the plus side for Palin: The expectations for her debate performance are now far below what they would have been. Anything like her competent performance in her Alaskan debates would be a triumph.