Gibson v. Palin

My report card on Palin's interview with Gibson:

Gibson: Snotty, aloof, but fair. I laugh when he's Mr. Serious during his interviews, glasses perched on the end of his nose, voice just above a grumble. Then they cut to him introducing a hurricane story and - ta da! - the glasses are gone and he's as chipper as...well, as a reporter who thinks a lot of people are going to die in a hurricane.

Charlie came out of the morning anchor circuit, so he's a media goof with something to prove (and no, I'm not sticking up for Palin; I've often said Charlie Gibson's a clown). His question about Iran being an "existential" threat was weird, and his exasperated question, "You don't believe it global warming?" proved he's a jackass. That said, he asked some reasonable and tough questions. He'd never put Obama through that kind of ringer, but that's to be expected so you can't whine about it.

Palin: Surprisingly mediocre. As a warmup for the interview, I went back and watched her with Charlie Rose. It was a piece from last year. Palin at a desk, black jacket, black background. She looked and sounded comfortable. She told anecdotes with an easy manner, and she sounded firm on policy issues.

New ballgame this time around. Someone forgot to explicitly tell Palin that the national media is her enemy. No matter how many times she called Gibson "Charlie," he wasn't going to lay off. Charlie was there to get a soundbite, hammer her for being a hick and, hopefully, make her look stupid and unprepared. The soundbite they've latched onto was her saying that the US could go to war if Russia attacked Georgia, provided Georgia is a member of NATO. It was a silly hypothetical question which McCain would have handled more deftly. Instead, Palin told the flat out truth: "Perhaps." She went on to say that war would be a last resort, but that all NATO countries had to expect their allies to come to each other's aid. That's absolutely true, but we'll see if the media spin it as Sarah the Warmonger.

She was nervous. Probably had too much coaching in the last few days, undermining her regular cool and making her think that this was too big a deal, when really it was just talking to a morning news guy. From previous interviews, I know she has it in her. Tonight, she reminded me of some clients I've shot that have only been in front of a camera a few times.

She has to absolutely demand that she gets to sit at a table or desk across from the interviewer. I don't know what her handlers were thinking, but the little wooden chairs and vast open living room were a horrible idea. She looked much smaller than Charlie, like a student/professor scene, especially in the wide cutaway.

I think she'll get better as she gets warmed up to the heat of a new spotlight. Taken like that, Gibson was good for her. Trial by fire. She'll probably be ready for Biden in the debate. My advice: take the coaching with a grain of salt, and get back to being yourself.