TresSugar

Big Night! The Candidate Service Forum and Palin's Interview

CitizenSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:36:22 -0700

It was a night of embarrassing political-TV riches: Sarah Palin's much anticipated interview with Charlie Gibson and the McCain/Obama Service Forum at Columbia University. Oh, where to start? Let's say ladies first (can we say that?) Sarah Palin's interview is being sliced and diced everywhere, from your comments, to comparing her environmental statements then and now, to giving her an overall thumbs up for looking, "resolute, confident, and in command of the subject matter."

Though Gibson was hand-selected to be the first to have a crack at grilling Palin, he didn't hold back in variety of subject. From the Bush Doctrine to invading Russia, it was all covered. When Gibson asked Palin if she hesitated over her level of experience when McCain asked her aboard the Straight Talk Express, Palin said:

I didn’t hesitate, no. . .I answered him yes, because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.

If you missed the first batch, tonight's 20/20 has an hour-long special starting at 10 p.m.

And what were the candidates up to? A back-to-back forum on public service at Columbia University. How did it go? I'll tell you both sides, but let's just say I changed my email "status" message to "John McCain gives good forum." To see the scoop, read more.

Sitting down, much in the fashion of the Saddleback Forum last month, the two candidates answered questions on service in front of a 1,000 member audience that included students, celebrities, relatives of 9/11 victims and Joe Biden.

John McCain used the opportunity to lament how different the campaign could have been if he and Obama were traveling together, doing a series of town halls. After frank talk about his relationship with service and the draft, McCain said:

Volunteer organizations that are completely separate from the government - have nothing to do with the government - are amongst the most successful. So let's not get entrapped by the idea that the government has to run these voluntary organizations.

Obama came through with specifics saying:

I believe firmly that government should expand the avenues of opportunity. I want to create an energy corps, a clean energy corps that can mobilize individual citizens to help create greater energy efficiency in our country. I want to mobilize seniors to get involved with their schools or local hospitals and health clinics. There's going to be a whole range of ways to do it. Some of it is going to cost money, but mostly it requires government providing these opportunities and avenues.

Did you catch either TV event? What did you think?

Is Jon Stewart the Most Trustworthy News Person?

TresSugar — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0700

When Time Magazine asked the question - "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" - the number one answer was ~~journalist~~ comedian Jon Stewart. Brian Williams came in second place, followed by Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric.

I can't say I'm that surprised. Using humor, The Daily Show manages to cut through all the BS and present a picture much closer to reality than the one we see on traditional news programs these days. And Jon does have the benefit of being free from a major news network with major rules and relationships to keep in order.

Favorite Sarah Palin Moment of 2008: Sarah Meets the Press

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:30:39 -0800

While the McCain campaign sometimes appeared reluctant to let VP nominee Sarah Palin talk to the press, her interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric proved to be CitizenSugar readers' favorite Sarah Palin moments of 2008.

When Charlie asked Sarah if she hesitated over her level of experience when McCain asked her aboard the Straight Talk Express, Palin said: "I didn’t hesitate, no . . . I answered him yes, because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink." But Palin did blink a bit when Charlie asked for her thoughts on the Bush Doctrine.

Saturday Night Live also took a liking to the Katie Couric interview, as Tina Fey used Palin's exact words to become your favorite Lighten Up moment of the year.

And yet another Palin interview came in second place - her Thanksgiving-timed chat with a reporter that went down while turkeys were slaughtered right behind her. Thanks for the memories, Gov. Palin! Check out some of the other top memories of the year.

Bush Made the Tough Calls But the Mistakes Weren't His

LibertySugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:02:17 -0800

President Bush's interview with Charlie Gibson aired last night, and Bush made it clear that he intends to leave office with his head held high. Reflecting on the highs and lows of his presidency, Bush concluded that it has been a "joyous" experience. Here are some of the excerpts:

On the Iraq war intelligence: "The biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn’t just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. And, you know, that’s not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess."
On what he was unprepared for: "I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack.' In other words, I didn't anticipate war. Presidents - one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.
On how he judges his legacy: "The thing that's important for me is to get home and look in that mirror and say, I did not compromise my principles. And I didn't. I made tough calls. And some presidencies have got a lot of tough decisions to make."
On Obama's election: "I think it was a repudiation of Republicans. And I'm sure some people voted for Barack Obama because of me. I think most people voted for Barack Obama because they decided they wanted him to be in their living room for the next four years explaining policy."

Considering that many in the media and numerous Democrats supported the war, do you think history will forget that Bush overlooked good intelligence and reports from the inspectors that concluded Iraq had no WMDs?

Should the US Push For Georgia to Join NATO?

LibertySugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Sarah Palin echoed John McCain's tough talk toward Russia, when she told Charlie Gibson that she favors putting Georgia in NATO, even though membership would mean the possibility of war with Russia. Last month, McCain said: "I would move forward at the right time with the application for membership in NATO by Georgia. As you know, through the NATO membership, that if a member nation is attacked, it is viewed as an attack on all."

Obama also called for partnership between NATO and Georgia in August: "I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a membership action plan (MAP) for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship." Membership in NATO's MAP can last for decades, and before full membership in NATO is awarded, territorial disputes with Russia would have to be worked out. This Summer, NATO deferred even MAP membership for Georgia.

Thinking about how a candidate's casual comment on the possibility of war with Russia plays out in Russia or other countries makes me a little nervous, but then again everyone in the race seems to have Georgia and a NATO relationship on their minds.

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Briefing Book! Olbermann and Matthews Won't Anchor

LibertySugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:30:15 -0700

MSNBC: Too opinionated? Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews won't be anchoring election night coverage. - DailyKos
Palin: You know you've made it when . . .? Sarah Palin gets an action figure. - Townhall
Fred Thompson: Chivalry is dead? Fred Thompson flies first class wearing huge American flag top hat, while his wife sits in coach. - Huffington Post
Socialism: She built missiles to reach America and participated in Tiananmen Square protest? Interview with author of new book Socialism Is Great. - Shanghaiist
Interviews: Talking to the enemy with preconditions? The when, where, how of Charlie Gibson's Sarah Palin interview, which airs Thursday. - TVNewser

Is Your Favorite Anchor Loved by Liberals?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:33:22 -0800

I've always suspected - since it's nearly impossible to be completely neutral - that some news jockeys are a scootch partisan. After all, one errant blink, and bam! Branded. Even Liberty and I have our favorites: She hearts Chris Matthews, and I'm hopelessly devoted to Wolf Blitzer - even though he has a nasty habit of saying, "this is interesting . . ." and then following up with something that's, uh, not interesting. But I forgive. Relationships are hard work.

Those crafty kids at Gawker graphed the approval ratings of over twenty news anchors, from Katie Couric to Rush Limbaugh, based on political party. Of course Democrats hate Rush Limbaugh, but get this: Republicans don't actually like him with a reciprocal intensity. And how do the three big winners, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, and Anderson Cooper, manage to be loved by all? Alas, our poor Chris Matthews and Wolf Blitzer didn't fare so well. How did your favorite anchor measure up? Do you watch that anchor precisely because you feel like he/she agrees with you?

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Debate Rebate: Repubs Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

CitizenSugar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:04:34 -0800

In the Granite State. It's New Hampshire, baby! Double the debates! Two, two, two parties on one night!!! The Republicans were up first, and it was a sit-down affair, (apparently I should have dressed up!) Six candidates: McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, Romney, Paul, and Huckabee, sat down with moderator (more or less) Charlie Gibson to dish the dirt. Here are the highlights:

Well, if they agree on nothing else, everyone hates Mitt Romney. Or at least that's how it seemed as the candidates grabbed chance after chance to slam Romney with doozies like:
"Governor, don't try to characterize my postion." said Romney.
"Which one?" Snapped back Huckabee. Oh yeah. It's on.
Then this from John McCain:
"We disagree on a lot of issues, but I agree, you are the candidate of change."
The barbs could mean that the candidates perceive Romney as the frontrunner-or they could just be trying to point out the inconsistent snake-oil that Romney's been dealing lately. Your choice.
Foreign policy, specifically Huckabee's comment on the Bush doctrine being an example of "arrogant, bunker-mentality," dominated the first part of the discussion. Huckabee clarified (or back-pedaled) on his statement, while McCain and Giuliani both expressed their intentions to strengthen military independence and strength. Thompson came back with a surprisingly cogent description of his experience in foreign policy. Okay, I might get why he slid in third in Iowa.
Border-security received the most nuanced policy debate, with McCain essentially saying, 'Lock down the borders, kick out the criminal illegals, and offer a temporary worker solution. God's children, but we have to be safe. So bothsies.' and Giuliani advocated for technology and fences of all descriptions.

Where were the Democrats? Please read more.

The most telling part of the evening was in between debates when all of the candidates from both parties were on the stage, shaking hands. It reminded you that for all of their disagreements, we've got 10-12 really good Americans running for this job.

The Democrats' debate was pretty different and I wish, wish, that since they went to the trouble of putting both debates on the same night, they would have had the same questions. Apples to apples and all. It did seem like specific policy did weigh heavier in the Democratic debate with a simultaneously more congenial and contentious relationship. Of course, the exchange of the night:

To Hillary: "Why do people think you're not likable?"
"Well that hurts my feelings I'm sorry but I'll try to go on. ..." laughed Hillary.
Obama interrupted: "You're likable enough."

A full, full Saturday night for one and all.
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