"It Was Her First National Security Meeting"
Steven Biegun, senior foreign policy adviser to the John McCain/Sarah Palin campaign, briefed the press this afternoon about Palin's meetings in New York with world leaders. The pen and pad follows a day (months?) of bad blood between the campaign and print press, who were excluded from a brief photo op with Palin and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Here's the Biegun exchange, per NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger:
Biegun: "What I thought I would do to start with is give you an overview of the governor's schedule this morning and then break it down and give you a few words about a couple of the meetings and then we will open it up for a few questions."
"Governor Palin had 4 meetings on her schedule today. Her first one was a routing briefing provided by the office of the director of national intelligence. Admiral Mike McConnell arrived in New York City and provided her a briefing that is standard for candidates for the vice president and president. As you probably know some of the other candidates on the ticket this fall have received those briefings. Governor Palin spent about 2 hrs with Director McConnell and his team--An excellent briefing."
"For the rest of my presentation I'm not going to characterize the content of that one for obvious reasons so if I say in all the meetings or in some of the meetings I am not referring to that meeting. I can't -"
Q Was that here in the hotel?
Biegun: "Yes, that was here at the hotel."
Q It was the director of the office-sorry director of national intelligence and his team is from the office of the director of national intelligence.
Q How many team members were there?
Biegun: "Probably not going to characterize that, but there were several people--several briefers."
Q Her first briefing?
Biegun: "Yes it was."
Biegun: "It was her first national security meeting. Those aren't arranged until after the candidates are formally nominated by their party."
Q Which of the other candidates have had the briefings?
Biegun: "I don't know about the other candidates other than I have seen similarly that they have confirmed to the press that they had these meetings and we will see how we can work it in the fall. But it is an ongoing offer that's provided by all 4 of the candidates at the top of the ticket."
Biegun: "The first meeting I will speak to today is governor Palin's meeting with president Karzai of Afghanistan .the second meeting was governor Palin's meeting with President Uribe of Colombia and the third meeting with Dr. Henry Kissinger at his offices. In all 3 of the meetings a common issue was raised by governor palin's interlocutors. All 3 raised the importance of energy securities as a national security issue. All with a slightly different take, but all raised it among the highest tier of national security issues the United States and our allies are looking at today. In president Kara's meeting they discussed the security situation in Afghanistan. They discussed the need for more US troops. They discussed what we can do together to bring increased prosperity and stability to Afghanistan and president Karzai emphatically asked governor Palin to convey in any opportunity she had to the American people the deep gratitude of Afghanistan for all the American people and the American military have done for that country."
Biegun: In particular president Karzai highlighted the contribution of the Alaska national guard and he also mentioned that he had had the opportunity to fly in the C-130 aircraft of the Alaska national guard in Afghanistan.
Q: He raised that?
Biegun: Yes he raised that.
Q: Did they talk about cross border incursions at all?
Biegun: "They talked about some of the security challenges that are facing Afghanistan today. The awareness that there is still significant violence, and some of that is coming from cross border. Governor Palin in these meetings is cognizant that she is a candidate for office, that she is not ... there is a president of the untied states, and she is in the middle of a campaign for president of the united states. So rather than make specific policy prescriptions, she was largely listening, having an exchange of views, and also very interested in forming a relationship with people she met with today.
"With the president of Colombia, again they discussed the security situation in Colombia. Talked about some of the recent success that President Uribe has had. They were in full agreement that a very important step in ameliorating the conditions that the FARC guerilla are exploiting is to address issue of increased economic opportunity. And both governor Palin and Sen. McCain, on Sen. McCain's behalf, Gov. Palin emphasizes her and Sen. McCain's strong support for Colombia free trade agreement and the degree to which it will contribute not only to economic prosperity but also social stability in Colombia which is critical to finally wining the war against terrorist elements of the FARC.
"President of Colombia also talked about energy as did president Karzai. In particular, president Karzai talked about substantial resources of natural gas and or oil that exist in Afghanistan but have yet to be developed and in the case of Colombia, President Uribe in particular talked about the lessons that Colombia is learning from Brazil's excellent example on the use of renewable energy resources, particularly biofuels. And talked about some of the plans that Colombia has in that regard."
Biegun: "The meeting with Dr. Kissinger was in Gov. Palin's words an excellent meeting. She very much enjoyed having the opportunity to sit down and talk with him. They were originally scheduled for 30 minutes and they went over an hour. They covered a full range of pressing national security issues and foreign policy interests of the United States, in particular focused on Russia, Iran and China.
"So I think that's an overview that perhaps should suffice to give you a bit of background on what was discussed, and I'd be pleased to answer some questions if you'd like."
Q What would you say she was most curious about when talking with Dr. Kissinger?
Biegun: "In talking to Dr. Kissinger, she certainly had a lot of questions about how the United States can develop a cooperative relationship with Russia, what are some of the unique challenges to the current state of Russia's political development, and having been in particular, some of the recent developments we've seen with Russia -- backsliding democracy, Russia's incursion into Georgia.
"I think it was a very good conversation. Dr. Kissinger is obviously a tremendous, has a tremendous wealth of knowledge on the issue and Governor Palin I think found it very useful to talk to him."
Q Did they talk about any of the implications if some of these countries were to join NATO?
Biegun: "They talked a little bit about how that affects the US-Russian relationship. I think Governor Palin, I can characterize her views. She certainly continues to express a strong support for the independence and the security for the nations that lie on the perimeter of Russia. She and Dr. Kissinger discussed the best means possible to ensure that those countries remain stable and independent, sovereign, a view that both of them shared."
Q Talk at all about her comments to Charlie Gibson on dealing with Russia should Russia attack or threaten any of these nations, and did she regret those comments?
Biegun: "She didn't talk about any specific comments with Charlie Gibson. She certainly didn't express any regret for any comments that she made to Charlie Gibson. In her interview with Charlie Gibson she was asked if it is... if a country is in NATO, does it retain a defense commitment, and that's factually correct. But there was no regret or controversy or discussion about that."
Q This was her first meeting with foreign leaders. Did she like them?
Biegun: "I think she liked them very much. Governor Palin established a great personal rapport. Obviously these were leaders of two countries that are very close to the United States with whom we share very important objectives in defeating terrorism. And really one of the things that she focused on, and that the conversations focused on, is beyond the wars that are being fought, how we get to the underlying circumstances that are being exploited by the Taliban in Afghanistan or the FARC in Colombia. And how can we work together to create economic opportunity, education. They talked about rights for women in Afghanistan, something that President Karzai was very proud of his record on. And how we can attack the conditions that are exploited by terrorist groups like the Taliban or like the FARC. And I think there was a real, real meeting of the minds, a nice exchange of views on that."
Q Asking more questions or listening more?
Biegun: "I'd say, obviously she is meeting with some people who are very well established leaders and her purpose in those meetings was to develop a relationship and to listen."
Q More prepared to be vice president?
Biegun: "I think she's already fully prepared to be vice president."
Q Issues she seems particularly eager about?
Biegun: "I think you're gonna see that a week from Thursday. Gov. Palin has a great curiosity, great interest, she's been the governor of the state of Alaska, had tremendous leadership responsibilities in her career and succeeded at every position she's held so far. All of us who are with her have the highest level of confidence that she will excel as vice president of the United States."
Q Regions, hot spots she's briefed on?
Biegun: "I don't think I'm going to characterize anything like that."
Q Talking to the CGI?
Biegun: "No, she's attending the Clinton Global Initiative."
Q Schedule tomorrow run through
Biegun: "She's gonna, tomorrow, be meeting with Presidents Saakashvili and Yushchenko. She's gonna be doing that jointly with Sen. McCain. She has a lunch meeting with President Talabani of Iraq. She has an afternoon meeting with newly-elected President Zardari of Pakistan. She will, I believe I've seen this confirmed in the press, but she will have an afternoon meeting jointly with Sen. McCain with Bono of the ONE Campaign. And then she will finish the day with a meeting jointly with Sen. McCain with Prime Minister Singh of India.
"The following morning, on Thursday, she will be at the Clinton Global Initiative, she will be attending Sen. McCain's speech."
Q Value of going to meetings herself instead of with Sen. McCain?
Biegun: "This will be my last answer. Sen. (sic) Palin is meeting with some of America's closest friends and allies who are dealing with some of the pressing national security interests the United States has, and both threats and opportunities confronting us in the world today.
"The president of Aghanistan. The president of Iraq. The president of Columbia. The president of Pakistan. These are good friends of the United States of America, these are relationships that she intuitively understands are very important for the next president and vice president of the United States. She's honored to serve with John McCain on the Republican ticket; she's ready to be vice president, and these meetings, while of an essentially personal nature, not intended to be part of any campaign event, are very important part of her being prepared on day one to be vice president of the United States."
Why are you serving as a press flack for this McCain-Palin charade, distributing their media nonsense word for word when they have exhibited disrespect for journalists, have attacked the media whenever they step out from being communications pawns on a string and actually do any investigative reporting on Palin and called any thinkin columnist who doesn't play ball "a leftist Eastern elite Obama supporter"?
Why doesn't respectable US media just call their bluff and stop enabling their insulting deceit of US voters?
Why don't you say you won't run any more of their propaganda, or publicize John McCain's constant lies and false attacks, unless they stop babying Palin and let you interview her without Daddy or the spinmeisters speaking for her?
Who do you serve, your loyal audience or John McCain's Communications Director?
Has the US media lost its self-respect?
wow. this is embarrassing. thanks for trying to paint a picture for us. however, it would seem the mccain campaign is hording paint brushes and canvasses!
I agree with Truthfairy. You're literally serving as stenographer for the McPalin propaganda machine.
Why is Palin hiding like someone who is hiding in a cave in Afganisthan?
They both have something to hide.
Checkout what kind of liars McCain-Palin are. Not only liars but frausters too. Their campaign manager was getting paid from Fredie Mac till last month. SO whatever McCain said yesterdey was a lie.
Here is the breaking news:
McCain Aide Paid By Freddie Mac
Sen. John McCain's campaign manager was paid $15,000 a month by Freddie Mac, the government sponsored corporation at the center of the credit crisis, according to the New York Times.
The payments only ended last month when the institution was seized by the federal government. The disclosure contradicts McCain's statement over the weekend that campaign manager Rick Davis "had no involvement with the company for the last several years."
It's not clear what Davis did for the money.
Update: Newsweek reports the arrangement was approved by Hollis McLoughlin, Freddie Mac's senior vice president for external relations, because Davis "was John McCain's campaign manager and it was felt you couldn't say no."
Strange comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the article. New Yorkers?
Strange comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the article. New Yorkers?
Strange comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the article. New Yorkers?
Strange comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the article. New Yorkers?
Join the Revolt. Declare a Media Boycott of the McCain Campaign.
Dear “Media Elite,”
Edward R. Murrow, the journalistic icon for integrity, has been spinning in his grave so much over the past few weeks that his bones must have turned to dust. The cause?
Your blanket acceptance of Sarah Palin’s refusal to talk to you.
Sarah Palin is the Stealth Candidate. She flew in under the radar and only appears at her pilot’s request - when sufficiently out of range of incoming questions.
And since you refuse to question her, here are a few questions for you:
Where is your outrage? Where is your leadership? Where is your integrity? Where is your commitment to your duty as news organizations and journalists? Where is your patriotism?
Why did you sit idly by while the McCain campaign chose Charlie Gibson and Sean Hannity to serve as your representatives? They got the spoon-fed “scoop.” And the American people got the shaft.
Sarah Palin could be one heartbeat away from the presidency of our country and we know nothing about her other than what the McCain campaign playbook has deemed appropriate for us to know. And amazingly, even their controlled release of information is filled with untruths that you willingly spin.
After three weeks on the campaign trail, she has not held one news conference or stepped into one unscripted environment. This is unprecedented from a major party candidate - or any candidate in my memory - and you let them get away with it.
We need to see this woman answer questions she’s never heard before. We need to see how she performs under fire - on her own two feet - before we put her a heartbeat away from being Commander in Chief and the most important job in the world.
You say that it’s the “McCain campaign’s prerogative” to keep the Vice Presidential candidate sequestered from the media.
That may be true. But you have a prerogative as well. And, sadly, it takes leadership, integrity and a commitment to journalism from all of you.
Your prerogative is this:
You can - and should - choose not to cover the McCain campaign.
You should be comfortable with this prerogative. You exercise it daily in editorial rooms across the country in your decisions on what warrants coverage.
We don’t see alternative candidates like Ralph Nader or Bob Barr on the front page. Or any page for that matter. You justify that prerogative by explaining that due to minimal campaign funds, or mass interest - or whatever excuse fits you, alternate candidates aren’t viable candidates and don’t warrant the coverage you give the major parties.
I submit to you that a Vice Presidential candidate from a major party who refuses to talk to the American people via the news media isn’t a viable candidate and therefore deserves to be ignored.
You have a duty to force her - and her thoughts and beliefs - out of hiding.
The best way to do that is to refuse to cooperate. Refuse to cover the McCain campaign until their prerogatives change. Boycott their news releases. Boycott their town hall love fests. Boycott the Straight Talk Express until it actually stops for some straight talk and straight answers.
If the McCain’s campaign only recourse is to buy advertising to get their message out, they’ll be forced to rethink their strategy and let Sarah Palin out of the closet and into the white-hot light of scrutiny. There’s simply too much at stake.
Unfortunately, you’ve been here before. You placed your intellectual integrity on the back burner when we marched off to war in Iraq. You became a mouthpiece for the administration. You spun the spin like the lap dogs you’ve become. You failed us then. And you’re failing us now.
That experience should have taught you that without critical thinking and critical questioning, spin will win. It always does. And spin isn’t what we need running our country in these perilous times.
It’s time for all of you - reporters, anchors, editors, publishers and CEO’s - to talk to each other. Have a conference call. Share a Blog. It’s time for the Les Moonves and Jeff Zuckers of the world to get off your collective butts and take a stand. Meet at your most convenient neighborhood Starbucks, place all of your competitive issues aside for one day and act like responsible Americans. Or at least act like journalists.
Put together a group of, say, 12 respected (admittedly hard-to-find) leaders in the media and declare that your respective organizations will not cover the McCain campaign until the Vice Presidential candidate stops talking about hockey moms and lipstick and answers questions about the issues that affect our lives and the future or our country. Unscripted. On her own. And of course, without blinking.
She needs to subject herself to the same media scrutiny that’s been focused on the dozens of candidates who’ve competed in the presidential race over the last two years. Those who’ve lost. And those who’ve won in the free marketplace of ideas. That’s the American Way.
If you feel that boycotting a presidential campaign is unprecedented, I submit that these are unprecedented times that call for unprecedented actions.
Global terrorism continues. We’re at war in two countries. For the first time in our history we’ve declared “pre-emptive” wars as doctrine. Our Bill of Rights teeter on the shelf. Habeas Corpus has been tossed out. Russia has raised its militaristic head once again. Our deficit is financed by China. Our economy’s on the brink of disaster and has only been saved by the unprecedented trillion dollar taxpayer bailouts of financial institutions and the mortgage industry.
And we have a major party candidate for Vice President who refuses to talk to you? Who refuses to stand before you and answer your - and our - questions?
Please pick up the phone or email your colleagues. Play hardball for a change. Take the lead. Do your duty. Make history. And set a date for the boycott to begin.
If you’re afraid of being labeled the “media elite,” it pales in comparison to the labels you deserve if you continue to allow the McCain campaign to sequester their Vice Presidential candidate from inquiry.
Incompetent. Irresponsible. And yes, treasonous, come to mind.
Sincerely,
Greg Newberry
Join the Revolt. Declare a Media Boycott of the McCain Campaign.
Dear “Media Elite,”
Edward R. Murrow, the journalistic icon for integrity, has been spinning in his grave so much over the past few weeks that his bones must have turned to dust. The cause?
Your blanket acceptance of Sarah Palin’s refusal to talk to you.
Sarah Palin is the Stealth Candidate. She flew in under the radar and only appears at her pilot’s request - when sufficiently out of range of incoming questions.
And since you refuse to question her, here are a few questions for you:
Where is your outrage? Where is your leadership? Where is your integrity? Where is your commitment to your duty as news organizations and journalists? Where is your patriotism?
Why did you sit idly by while the McCain campaign chose Charlie Gibson and Sean Hannity to serve as your representatives? They got the spoon-fed “scoop.” And the American people got the shaft.
Sarah Palin could be one heartbeat away from the presidency of our country and we know nothing about her other than what the McCain campaign playbook has deemed appropriate for us to know. And amazingly, even their controlled release of information is filled with untruths that you willingly spin.
After three weeks on the campaign trail, she has not held one news conference or stepped into one unscripted environment. This is unprecedented from a major party candidate - or any candidate in my memory - and you let them get away with it.
We need to see this woman answer questions she’s never heard before. We need to see how she performs under fire - on her own two feet - before we put her a heartbeat away from being Commander in Chief and the most important job in the world.
You say that it’s the “McCain campaign’s prerogative” to keep the Vice Presidential candidate sequestered from the media.
That may be true. But you have a prerogative as well. And, sadly, it takes leadership, integrity and a commitment to journalism from all of you.
Your prerogative is this:
You can - and should - choose not to cover the McCain campaign.
You should be comfortable with this prerogative. You exercise it daily in editorial rooms across the country in your decisions on what warrants coverage.
We don’t see alternative candidates like Ralph Nader or Bob Barr on the front page. Or any page for that matter. You justify that prerogative by explaining that due to minimal campaign funds, or mass interest - or whatever excuse fits you, alternate candidates aren’t viable candidates and don’t warrant the coverage you give the major parties.
I submit to you that a Vice Presidential candidate from a major party who refuses to talk to the American people via the news media isn’t a viable candidate and therefore deserves to be ignored.
You have a duty to force her - and her thoughts and beliefs - out of hiding.
The best way to do that is to refuse to cooperate. Refuse to cover the McCain campaign until their prerogatives change. Boycott their news releases. Boycott their town hall love fests. Boycott the Straight Talk Express until it actually stops for some straight talk and straight answers.
If the McCain’s campaign only recourse is to buy advertising to get their message out, they’ll be forced to rethink their strategy and let Sarah Palin out of the closet and into the white-hot light of scrutiny. There’s simply too much at stake.
Unfortunately, you’ve been here before. You placed your intellectual integrity on the back burner when we marched off to war in Iraq. You became a mouthpiece for the administration. You spun the spin like the lap dogs you’ve become. You failed us then. And you’re failing us now.
That experience should have taught you that without critical thinking and critical questioning, spin will win. It always does. And spin isn’t what we need running our country in these perilous times.
It’s time for all of you - reporters, anchors, editors, publishers and CEO’s - to talk to each other. Have a conference call. Share a Blog. It’s time for the Les Moonves and Jeff Zuckers of the world to get off your collective butts and take a stand. Meet at your most convenient neighborhood Starbucks, place all of your competitive issues aside for one day and act like responsible Americans. Or at least act like journalists.
Put together a group of, say, 12 respected (admittedly hard-to-find) leaders in the media and declare that your respective organizations will not cover the McCain campaign until the Vice Presidential candidate stops talking about hockey moms and lipstick and answers questions about the issues that affect our lives and the future or our country. Unscripted. On her own. And of course, without blinking.
She needs to subject herself to the same media scrutiny that’s been focused on the dozens of candidates who’ve competed in the presidential race over the last two years. Those who’ve lost. And those who’ve won in the free marketplace of ideas. That’s the American Way.
If you feel that boycotting a presidential campaign is unprecedented, I submit that these are unprecedented times that call for unprecedented actions.
Global terrorism continues. We’re at war in two countries. For the first time in our history we’ve declared “pre-emptive” wars as doctrine. Our Bill of Rights teeter on the shelf. Habeas Corpus has been tossed out. Russia has raised its militaristic head once again. Our deficit is financed by China. Our economy’s on the brink of disaster and has only been saved by the unprecedented trillion dollar taxpayer bailouts of financial institutions and the mortgage industry.
And we have a major party candidate for Vice President who refuses to talk to you? Who refuses to stand before you and answer your - and our - questions?
Please pick up the phone or email your colleagues. Play hardball for a change. Take the lead. Do your duty. Make history. And set a date for the boycott to begin.
If you’re afraid of being labeled the “media elite,” it pales in comparison to the labels you deserve if you continue to allow the McCain campaign to sequester their Vice Presidential candidate from inquiry.
Incompetent. Irresponsible. And yes, treasonous, come to mind.
Sincerely,
Greg Newberry
The press has no credibility, no rules, no standards, nothing except a very high opinion of themselves. As Palin would say, "Newflash," I don't need the press to tell me what to think. I wouldn't mind if they stopped covering Palin altogether (especially since all they "report" is rumors about her and her children anyway). I can find all the information I need without the press. Thank you very much.
The press does not want news they want DIRTY LAUNDRY. The world news agency are smut peddlers, because thats what sells newpapers, smut, fear, etc. They don't want to know who this person is they only want something they can smear on their lily white pages. The Demos want dirty laundry on the GOP, the GOP wants dirty laundry on the Dems. Thats the bottom line. The people don't have the right to know anything about this person, (what about a persons right to a little privacy) vote for her or don't vote for her thats your right. Anything else is just icing on the cake. Everyone got caught off guard by the GOP's choice and the liberal media has been totally negetive about her very existance. If it were me, I wouldn't give them the time of day.
Give us a break -- we don't need a VP (and potential President) who needs a one-day crash course in world affairs. Heaven help us if we fall for this again and put yet another moron in the White House!
Why won't she answer questions from the press or even from the public who come to hear her speak? The answer is obvious. She can't answer questions without letting on that she is clueless-- so she must stick to a script.
How can anyone support yet another candidate (Palin) who believes they do not have to answer to the public. It is reminiscent of the secrecy of Cheney, Harriet Myers and other Bush administration officials hiding evidence, "losing" thousands of e-mails, and refusing to appear before Congress, even when subpoenaed.
Usually politicians hide fromm the public after the election. It is very scary when a candidate hides from the public BEFORE the election, and the public still votes for them. Wake up folks! We've had 8 years of this secrecy. Enough is enough!
Everyone should write the national news media demanding action and coverage.
Greg Newberry's Comments do not represent that of the democratic party and/or the liberal front and we disacknowledge any affilliation with him and/or his Organization. Further more we disclaim the existance of any revolt and or movement by our organization, staff and/or members in afilliation with that of Greg Newberry and/or his organization.