Hotline After Dark -- Full Court Press

The talk of the TV was Sarah Palin's much-anticipated interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson. Gibson will conduct three interviews with Palin. The first interview took place 9/11 and aired on "World News."

Gibson: "Can you look the country in the eye and say 'I have the experience and I have the ability to be not just vice president, but perhaps president of the United States of America?'"

Palin: "I do, Charlie, and on January 20, when John McCain and I are sworn in, if we are so privileged to be elected to serve this country, will be ready. I'm ready."

Palin, asked if she ever traveled outside the U.S. prior to her trip to Kuwait and Germany in '07: "Canada, Mexico, and then, yes, that trip, that was the trip of a lifetime to visit our troops in Kuwait and stop and visit our injured soldiers in Germany. ... It changed my life."

Palin, asked if she has ever met a foreign head of state: "There in the state of Alaska, our international trade activities bring in many leaders of other countries."

Gibson: "I'm talking about somebody who's a head of state, who can negotiate for that country. Ever met one?"

Palin: "I have not and I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you."

After the jump, much more Palin and McCain/Obama service forum performances are reviewed.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Gibson: "You said recently, in your old church, 'Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.' Are we fighting a holy war?"

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. 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. That's what that comment was all about, Charlie. And I do believe, though, that this war against extreme Islamic terrorists is the right thing."

Gibson: "Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?"

Palin: "In what respect, Charlie?"

Gibson: "The Bush -- well, what do you -- what do you interpret it to be?"

Palin: "His world view."

Gibson: "No, the Bush doctrine, enunciated September 2002, before the Iraq war."

Palin: "I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell bent on destroying our nation. There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made. And with new leadership, and that's the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership comes opportunity to do things better."

Gibson: "The Bush doctrine, as I understand it, is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense, that we have the right to a preemptive strike against any other country that we think is going to attack us. Do you agree with that?"

Palin: "I agree that a president's job, when they swear in their oath to uphold our Constitution, their top priority is to defend the United States of America. I know that John McCain will do that and I, as his vice president, families we are blessed with that vote of the American people and are elected to serve and are sworn in on January 20, that will be our top priority is to defend the American people" ("World News," ABC, 9/11).

The second interview also took place on 9/11 and aired on "Nightline."

Gibson: "In 2007, you were asked about the surge. You said, 'I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq.' Really? For somebody who wants to be vice president, you haven't focused on Iraq."

Palin: "Of course I have been focused on the war. Of course I have been, as every American has been since 9-11. ... What we're doing in Iraq today I believe is the right thing. As we're standing shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi people, fighting against al Qaeda, fighting against Shiia extremists and other terrorists who would seek to destroy Iraq's democracy, who would seek to destroy America, and our allies."

Palin, asked if she still believes that global warming is not man made: "I believe that man's activities certainly can be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change. Here in Alaska, the only arctic state in our Union, of course, we see the effects of climate change more so than any other area with ice pack melting. Regardless though of the reason for climate change, whether it's entirely, wholly caused by man's activities or is part of the cyclical nature of our planet -- the warming and the cooling trends -- regardless of that, John McCain and I agree that we gotta do something about it, and we have to make sure that we're doing all we can to cut down on pollution."

Palin, on disagreeing with McCain about drilling in ANWR: "I'm going to keep working on that one with him. ANWR, of course, is a 2,000 acre swath of land in the middle of about a 20 million acre swath of land. 2,000 acres that we're asking the feds to unlock so that there can be exploration and development. ... We'll agree to disagree but I'm gonna keep pushing that, and I think eventually we're all gonna come together on that one" ("Nightline," ABC, 9/11).

Gibson's third interview with Palin will take place today and will air tonight on "World News" and "20/20."

See today's Hotline for more from the interviews.

Reax to Palin's interview:

Rudy Giuliani: "She gave excellent answers for a first interview. ... She did a terrific job. ... Charlie Gibson tried to turn around the whole question about God's plan. ... She had a terrific answer to that. And they tried to fool her by leaving out the beginning of her remarks. ... It said to me that she's ready" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 9/11).

Los Angeles Times' Brooks, on Palin discussing her Iraq stance: "It's funny, because Sarah Palin, until she got the McCain script, was actually saying some different things about Iraq. Until quite, quite recently, until earlier this August, was expressing a lot of the same concerns I think that most Americans have about the Iraq war -- e.g., is there a plan? Is there an exit plan? ... She's been whipped into line here" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 9/11).

FNC's Colmes: "What concerns me about this Charlie Gibson interview is this particular question. ... He said, 'Do you believe in the Bush doctrine?' She said, 'In respect to what, Charlie?' He said, 'Bush, what do you interpret it to be?' ... He had to coach her about the preemptive warfare doctrine, and she didn't seem to understand that that is the Bush doctrine. That concerned me" ("Hannity & Colmes," 9/11).

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "She didn't know what the Bush doctrine was. But I don't think most people know what the Bush doctrine is or was. ... On this one, I'm sympathetic to her, because we don't ordinarily use that a shorthand. We haven't in a long time. We talk about the preemptive doctrine of George Bush, but we don't ordinarily ... as citizens or as journalists, go around talking about -- quote -- 'the Bush doctrine'" ("AC 360," CNN, 9/11).

YOU GOT SERVED

The presidential service forum at Columbia Univ. was the other big event of the night. Sponsored by ServiceNation and Time, McCain and Obama appeared separately.

FNC's Nauert: "This is the university from which Barack Obama graduated, the university that welcomed with open arms Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just about a year ago, and of course, the university that has not welcomed the ROTC since the late 1960s. That is something that Barack Obama and John McCain both tonight said that they wish the university would change its policy on that" ("Hannity & Colmes," 9/11).

MSNBC's Matthews: "I like [Time's] Richard Stengel and [PBS'] Judy Woodruff. They're great correspondents and journalists, but I thought it would be good if they had said to him, John McCain ... 'Are you saying that your opponent has called your running mate a pig?' Just right to his face. Because his ads say it. His people say it. His money says it. Force him to say it. Because John McCain would not say it. He would never say Barack Obama called Governor Palin a pig. Yet all the time, the last two or three days have been focused on that very charge from that campaign, with his name and his money on the ad. But make him say it" ("Rachel Maddow Show," 9/11).

Gergen: "Both candidates tonight were in a very conciliatory mood. They agreed on a great deal, and for that reason this was not as electric as the debates will be. But it was still a significant evening in a couple of ways. It brought back some of the civility to the campaign that's been so badly lacking during recent weeks. It was an enormous lift to the national service movement, a movement inspired mostly by the younger generation. And they got a commitment tonight from both candidates to expand the size of AmeriCorps from 75,000 people a year to 250,000 a year, mostly young people. That would really change our culture, our political culture."

More Gergen: "I think it gave us a foretaste, again, of the debates that are coming. ... Once again John McCain had a good night, just as he did at Saddleback. He's going to be tough in those debates, much tougher than people think. Tonight, unlike Saddleback when Barack Obama was weak, he was much better himself tonight, so that it was pretty tied. But I think this suggests these are going to be very close, closely-fought debates come September 26 and beyond" ("AC 360," CNN, 9/11).

Newt Gingrich: "I thought tonight was a very nice tone for both men. ... I really think both the Rick Warren event and this event were a better tone than you're probably going to get in the so-called debates, because the debates are driven by reporters who are trying to be divisive and trying to force confrontation" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 9/11).

NBC's Mitchell, on the political impact the forum might have: "I think the impact is that voters, viewers were able to see these two candidates talking substantively about community service, not disagreeing a whole lot and, in fact, it was a laying down of arms. It was a serious conversation with smart people, exactly what the voters have been asking for, many people believe, after 48 hours or longer of some of the most combative, angry, misguided attacks and counterattacks and poorly defended positions of this entire campaign season" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 9/11).