NBC's Chuck Todd says there's a 'tenseness' between John McCain and Sarah Palin

Today, it was NBC anchor Brian Williams’ turn to interview Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, making him the last of the network anchors to quiz the Republican vice presidential candidate. Williams conducted a joint interview with Palin and Sen. John McCain this afternoon in Ohio, and according to early reports, the news out of their exchange may be what wasn’t said.

In an on-air discussion with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews about the interview, NBC News political director Chuck Todd offered a frank assessment of what he said was an awkward tension between the two candidates and the sense of gloom that hung over the campaign.

Here's what Todd said:

There was a tenseness, between, first of all, between the two –- there’s no chemistry. I couldn’t see chemistry between John McCain and Sarah Palin. I felt as if we grabbed two people and said, "Here, sit next to each other, we’re going to conduct an interview." They’re not comfortable with each other yet. The other thing about it is you can tell they know that they’re losing. They’re drained, the entire campaign staff is drained. The two candidates seem guarded, they seem on edge. It’s not as if they were rude or anything. It’s not as if they weren’t trying to be forthcoming. It’s a negative intensity -- I don’t know how else to describe it. You’ll see, when you see the two of them together, the chemistry is not all there. You do wonder, is John McCain starting to blame her for things, blaming himself? Is she blaming him? ... But whatever it is, it’s a negative vibe that you get in that room...

I can’t emphasize enough the odd body language. I know Obama and Biden don’t have the great chemistry yet, but there seems to be some chemistry. I didn’t see any chemistry here. It very much feels forced, and you almost wonder, maybe it’s the intensity of the moment. They know they’re down, you have no sleep at night. You need that idea that you can win to keep you going. ... You almost wonder why they wanted the two of them sitting next to each other. ...

This is a very dangerous time in a campaign that is behind. They desperately need some good news, because you do wonder, is that cohesion disappearing inside, not just between the two mates, that we saw today on camera, but with the entire campaign structure?

Williams, standing next to Todd on camera, studiously avoided offering his own thoughts about the mood in the room. Instead, he told Matthews the headline out of the interview: that Palin said she would release her medical records, much to the surprise of her campaign staff.

However, a transcript released by NBC News shows that the Alaska governor left herself a little wiggle room:

WILLIAMS: Did I hear you just agree to release your medical records?

PALIN: The medical records, so be it. If that will allow some curiosity seekers perhaps to have one more thing that they either check the box off that they can find something to criticize or to rest them assured over. I'm healthy, happy, I've had five kids, that's going to be in the medical records, never seriously ill or hurt, you'll see that in the medical records if they're released.

Portions of the interview will air this evening, Thursday and Friday on the “NBC Nightly News.”

-- Matea Gold

Comments

[Palin Problem]

John McCain may have a slight Palin issue but Obama picked a guy that's clearly a joke. Where is NBC's article asking about Biden's drag on the ticket or maybe costing Obama the election?
Scott Smith

[Phil Edwards]

Chuck Todd is an idiot! If Barack Muslim Hussein Obamma had not been associated with Rev
Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farahkam, and Wiiliam Ayers, he could have been as good some of the alltime greats. Adolf Hitler, Joe Stalin and Pontius Pilate

[Jon Bell]

I find it ironic that an NBC poll would be used to comment on the effectiveness of McCain's VP choice, Sarah Palin. NBC is nothing more than a spokes entity for Obama/Biden. Here is the reality of the Palin choice. She is far better qualified to be President of the US than the head of the Democratic ticket. Name the city of town or "whistle stop" that had as its mayor Barack Obama? ANS...there is none. Name the state that had Obama as its Governor for ANY amount of time, let alone 2yrs plus? ANS...there is none. Name me one other of the 4 four Pre/VP hopefuls, all of who are elected officials, who commands the support and respect of 80% of their constituents? ANS....there is no other. I could go on but you get the idea. Finally, I like Palin because she and her husbands income tax return look a hell of a lot more like mine then Obama, Biden OR McCain. She is ONE OF US!! Moreover, in spite of all the left wing attacks, smears, and attempts to belittle and demean her, she has remained ............................a lady with class. That is something totally absent from the majority of public officials in either party.

If elected there are two positive aspects that may come from Obama as President. First, hopefully black Americans will quit feeling sorry for themselves as a group and shed their victim mentality. (Though most of them are ingrained with a cultural propensity to feel sorry for themselves and live off the public teat, so I doubtit) Second, with OBAMA in the White House we will all at last know where the "woodpile" is.

[N0bama]

Chuck Todd's gonna be one very disappointed moron on Nov. 5th.

[Karen]

Chuck Todd may have a "tenseness"with his sphincter muscle right about now.He knows he and his buddies in the media have been in the tank for Obama,so he better do all he can to discredit McCain and Palin.Look at the Pew poll that asks if the media is in the tank for Obama,over 70% said they were. I have been through many elections in my lifetime and I have NEVER seen the media throw away all sense of objectivity.It is a wonder that Obama is not 30 points ahead.They have been covering for him from day one.To those who are voting for Obama,ask yourself if you know everything about him or just what the media wants you to know and be honest about it.

[J. Hopper]

Maybe Chuck Todd should keep his lame assessments to himself. Obviously, Brian Williams is the more professional of the two. It's no wonder MSNBC is rated last. Not everybody in America is on the OBAMA love train. MSNBC is totally in the tank. What a joke!

[J L]

Chuck Todd? The guy who predicted a Kerry landside...enough said.

[Desi]

It bears repeating: Jesus was a community organizer; Pontius Pilate was a governor.

[RC Rider]

Frankly, I fault McCain and Palin for even appearing on this network. I mean, what a joke?
From this interview NBC comes out with some simple minded assessment of chemistry as opposed to any substance from questions asked? Is this network so ignorant that while EVERYONE including the Obama campaign know NBC is in the tank for Obama, that they still think anyone would buy some NBC assessment based on vibes? Ha Ha Ha!
Here's the real story:
NBC doesn't report news-----they make their own.
Unfortunately, that's not even news anymore to anyone with more than a 7th grade education.

[n8whit]

More proof that the media is in the tank for Obama. A Pew study of journalism ethics has just shown that coverage of Obama was 2 to 1 neutral or positive compared to well over half negative for McCain. The study also showed that press has been quiet on Biden since he is a gaffe machine. All three networks ratings are lower than this time last year even though we are on the heels of an election. Bias Bias Bias. I am so sick of it. Just be fair. Let America decide on their own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paulejb]

Chuck Todd is letting his fantasies run away with his judgement. As a card carrying member of the Obamamedia Chuck is on the plan to discourage republicans to keep them away from the polls. The MSM, especially NBC will have to answer to the American people for their deceit, no matter how this election turns out.

[Mary T]

Umm...Could we (while playing the childish game of names) be 'fair and balanced' when mentioning Obama's 'associations,' go ahead and mention McCain's also? You know, Keating, Hagee ... and what was that group he belonged to (and his name was on their letterhead) who ... Never mind ... It's beyond the scope of those with their heads in the sand and their need to believe only one candidate has only good points while the other has only bad ones.

Not sure who I'm more disappointed in: McCain/Palin's mind games, or the Americans who can't see through all the hype and distortions coming from our politicians

[sean]

Phil Edwards, you are a bright one. You try to smear Obama by calling him a Muslim (which is a dirty, nasty, anti-American thing to do anyway, exactly what is wrong with being a Muslim?), and yet in the same post mention his Christian minister of 20+ years. Your ilk are the kind running the McCain campaign, and it is no wonder that you are losing! It is sad to see the career of someone like McCain go down in flames because of being hijacked by the same people running the show for the last 8-40+ years (yes, check your history, as these guys got ramped up under Nixon)

[Michael Burgess]

Just in reply to the two previous posts. Um, Biden isn't proving to be a drag on Obama's ticket. What your seeing is the classic case of experience winning out over inexperience - Biden has it, Palin doesn't. So that's why there's no report on it. And I'm happy to say that nothing will cost Obama the election now, he is about to win and win big. It will be nice to see America waking up from the nightmare of the last 8 years and to watch Americans finally take back their country after it has been dragged through the mud by the Republican, right wingers, George W Bush and McCain. If you guys had any intelligence,you'd see that Obama is what you need now, both at home and abroad.

[Steve Zabriski]

Usual idiotic comments I see, the morons of America.
Divided we fall!

[Dave Crane]

From what I saw McCain & Palin seem to want to pick on Obama / Biden on almost every issue. But they certainly don't seem to have any good solid answers to their own delimma or America's problems.
I hope Obama & Biden will be able to give an interview to Brian also. I just hate for one party to use this interview to campaign, and the other not given the same opportunity.

[okjimm]

'Where is NBC's article asking about Biden's drag on the ticket or maybe costing Obama the election?'

Gees, Maybe because he's not, and Obama does not appear to be losing.

[Sean]

Dear John Bell. I love it when Republicans post racist diatribes on the web. It makes all Republicans look bad and pushes people towards the Democrats. The line about blacks living off the public teat is just golden. Thank you, and keep up the good work. Next time, say something about the Jews.