Sarah Palin discusses global warming and its causes, vaguely, on CBS

Sarah Palin clearly was in her comfort zone when she chatted on-air Tuesday with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt. As The Ticket noted , she presented a persona and offered some lines that could serve her well in her Thursday debate with Joe Biden.

Tuesday also saw the broadcast of another of her several interviews with Katie Couric of CBS.

This segment may not spark more calls from conservative commentators that Palin give up her spot on the Republican national ticket. But in front of the television cameras -- and in the face of more pointed questioning -- the self-assurance that marked her conversation with Hewitt continued to elude her.

One answer by Palin will do little to quell concerns about her position on global  warming. As she did with ABC's Charlie Gibson a few weeks back, she did her best to skirt a direct answer on its causes.

From the transcript:

Couric: What’s your position on global warming? Do you believe it’s man-made or not?

Palin: Well, we’re the only Arctic state, of course, Alaska. So we feel the impacts more than any other state, up there with the changes in climates. And certainly, it is apparent. We have erosion issues. And we have melting sea ice, of course. So, what I’ve done up there is form a sub-cabinet to focus solely on climate change. Understanding that it is real. And …

Couric: Is it man-made, though in your view?

Palin: You know there are -- there are man’s activities that can be contributed to the issues that we’re dealing with now, these impacts. I’m not going to solely blame all of man’s activities on changes in climate. Because the world’s weather patterns are cyclical. And over history we have seen change there. But kind of doesn’t matter at this point, as we debate what caused it. The point is: it’s real; we need to do something about it.

Pardon us for asking, but would it not be difficult to devise an effective policy to mitigate the effects of global warming without a firm grasp on what caused it?

Palin also was not about to be pinned down ...

... by Couric on the subject of her reading habits. Here's the exchange:

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn’t a foreign country, where it’s kind of suggested, “Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?” Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

Palin may well ace her final on Thursday (especially if much of the public decides to grade on the curve). But following the debate, we think it far more likely her future bookings will tilt heavily toward tete-a-tetes with friendly radio types than sit-downs with the likes of Gibson and Couric.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

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Comments

[David Ewell]

Wow, you don't even pretend anymore to be objective, do you Don? You guys haven't asked Barack Obama one tough question about his experience... And he has less executive experience than Palin and is running for PRESIDENT. You and the rest of Obama's press sercretaries disgust me.

[RJ]

One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is to be prepared.

Dan Quayle
1947-
American Politician, Vice-President

[Scott]

so she wouldn't state for the record that she thinks that global warming is the result of mankind? Nobody knows..at this point its all theory. And she didn't feel comfortable telling Katie what she reads? Who cares.

[LMIlls]

If Palin has a skill, it's evasiveness and the ability to dance around an issue, although as with most of us it sometimes fails her.
I don't know why people continue to attribute all these special qualities to her, while avoiding the only one that matters. Regardless of her spunk, her assertiveness, her one-of-the-gals appeal, the fact remains: Sarah Palin is nowhere near ready to be leader of the free world. Not even close.

[Brian]

After seeing a couple interviews with her, I can see why they hid her from the press. She doesn't answer any questions. I've seen politicians dodge questions, but wow. She really learned the five D's of dodgeball.

[catclaw]

If she was president, could she be effective against Putin? Ask Sarah how she shoots wolves from airplanes. Ask her to answer the question until she does. Does she teach her children evolution? Is this the best we can get in politics?

[Asanath]

"Pardon us for asking, but would it not be difficult to devise an effective policy to mitigate the effects of global warming without a firm grasp on what caused it?"

I have been saying this for years. Most people that I have said it to have responded with something like "We don't have time to wait for all of the proof, we must act now!" Very often the very same people who decried this very same sort of logic when it landed us squarely in Iraq looking for WMD's.

I know that it is blasphemy of sorts to remind anyone of this, but neither scientific consensus, nor Al Gore, have NOT always proven to be accurate. While a recent example would be the scientific consensus that eugenics was a "scientific fact" held by many in the 30' and 40's, there are others. This fact by no means proves that the scientific communities consensus on global warming is on an equal footing with say, phrenology, another consensus of the past. It does mean that I wouldn't mind seeing more hard evidence (yes, I have downloaded and read the reports) and less opinion before I swallow ANY scientific consensus as though it had been found carved on sacred stone tablets somewhere.

I am not anti-science either, rather I tend towards being a technocrat, looking to science as our best hope for a better future.

I am a skeptic however, and true to form, I do not say, "I will never be convinced"...I say, "Convince me". So far, I remain as convinced that man is the sole cause of global warming as I was when we went searching for WMD's . I do believe that man's activities are part of the picture, but for most global warming zealots, nothing short of the complete culpability of man seems an acceptable position.

I am never quite sure why so many people are so invested in demanding that others take a position on a subject when all of the facts are not available to us...when did it become dishonorable to admit that "I simply don't know yet"?

Now, my OPINION on the matter is a different question, but it is at this point, mere opinion, unverifiable in terms of actual hard evidence, therefore not defensible as truth.

[Jim]

Bwahahaha!!! Oh, Wait...people are taking her seriously.

[Nicholas]

Great. We go from Darth Cheney to dimwit Gov. Barbie.

[tw]

This interview was hysterical..I loved it when Palin couldn't name any of the magazines on current events that she reads....You couldn't write this stuff any funnier...what a IDIOT!

[Mark]

Once again - long sentences with no substance.
If she can't handle the softballs, what about the fast curves ?

[Microtek]

Ask those same question to Nobama, you would be surprised.

[Boris86]

The point is that global warming is a complex issue that has been over-simplified by its lobby and the media (which always looks for a simple explanation no matter how complex the issue). In all likelihood it is caused by the sun and it is highly unlikely to be caused by man. Have a look at the UK documentary, "The Great Global Warming Swindle" for some science instead of double-talk.

[bruce]

I like the way Palin speaks, sort of, maybe.

It is kind of, like, wow, she is running for office in that place over there, the capital of our great country, the United States of America, for which it stands. LIke wow, up there in that place, Alaska, not at all foreign, but far enough that she can see Russia from her living room. Like wow.

She reads quite a bit as well. All of those media things. I mean, Alaska gets news too.

[fvidanes]

Gov. Sarah Palin really energized the Republican base as well as the women, the Conservative American Christian and other sectarian voters. She has more Executive experience as Governor of Alaska who make decision everyday than Obama and Biden combined. She is more qualified to become the next US President than Obama according to the former Gov. of Massachusett.
So, questioning Sarah's credential by the media will only turn to her favor. Sen. McCain I believe will be the next US President. Go McCain-Palin!

[george mc venter]

I believe Palin will fall flat on her face with the debate. She has become the master of making an offer you can't understand. Her folksy tone leads to think of a third grader!

[Jeff]

I think it's obvious that we should call in a wiltch doctor from Nigeria to help us solve this problem. Possbily doing a sort of weather dance will solve this issue.

[Judy Breck]

Gosh, a large number of scientists tell us the causes of global warming are unknowable. It would be wrong of Governor Palin to say what she "believes" is the cause just to get votes. Instead she correctly moved the discussion to what we should do to protect the planet. I hope we don't wait until science is certain about causes to do something. That certainty may take centuries.

[PA Voter]

"Couric: Is it man-made, though in your view?

Palin: You know there are - there are man’s activities that can be contributed to the issues that we’re dealing with now, these impacts. "

Do you suppose she means "attributed"? Boy, she's every bit as bad as Quayle or Bush. She gives a whole new meaning to what the kids call "brain-freeze." Here Journalism degree is not serving her well at all.

[SMC]

I'm a Palin supporter in that I generally want everyone to do well in their professions. But I must admit... she stunk up a storm on this interview. It's clear (to me anyway) that she's been coached and instructed on what she can and cannot say. She needs to get her sea legs quickly if she is going to have ANY hope of a political future beyond Governor of Alaska. Geez, she's a very smart woman and has interviewed very well in Alaska. Is it just the national spotlight? Is she being over-managed?

It's been disappointing for sure.

PEACE

[Annonymous]

this transcript clearly demonstrates that Palin does not know what she is doing. Of course, if I were sitting down with interviewers like Couric, I would be nervous and get caught up. But this isn't about me, this about Sarah Palin, a Vice Presidential candidate. If she is going to represent our country, she needs to be able to discuss these issues more eloquently. Her inability to express her ideas on issues explicitly shows that she lacks experience/knowledge, and I can't take her seriously. I honestly respect the fact that she is a woman running for Vice President, but honestly, we need a vice president who knows what they are doing. our country is in crisis at the moment, we need to get that fixed with smart leaders.

there's more i can say about Sarah Palin, which I learned from www.dailysource.org/palin
very helpful website!

[Charlie]

Stop the madness. Sarah Palin doesn’t even know what she doesn’t know. Sarah-six-pack should have been left in Alaska where she is a perfect fit. John McCain’s selection of Palin as appalling and reckless on every level.

I don’t care if she aces the debate with Biden. She will still fail’s us in every way. One “A” and four “F”’s is not a passing grade in this country no matter how far we continue to lower the bar. She is simply not acceptable. We deserve better….and if we are going to be honest with each other….we all know it.

[Eddie Burkhalter]

Palin clearly lack the ability to think critically. We cannot, for a single moment, consider putting a person like her in the white House. Folks, things are worse than they've been since my birth. We are scuttling towards uncertainty and we need someone that can think clearly, that can hold themselves together during crisis. Sarah Palin and that gut she running with seem content to play silly games and avoid telling the whole truth as long as it helps them. I say nope, enough. Not going to put up with kids playing politics anymore. Lets just vote in someone capable of being an adult, and who cares about the general good.

[Sarah MacGill]

Sarah Palin may be ignorant, opinionated, and easily led, but for conservative Americans that is not a barrier.

[Ann]

Why can't this chick just answer a question directly? Why won't she even identify books, magazines or newspapers that she has read? Probably because she doesn't read! What an idiot.