I asked readers to suggest questions ABC's Charles Gibson could ask Sarah Palin tonight, and boy, did you have questions. Many of you headed over to the ABC site to suggest questions directly. The Palin interview is already making news: ABC just sent out a "breaking news alert" informing us that "Gov. Sarah Palin warns that war may be necessary if Russia invades another country." And on 9/11, no less.
I promised to print the best letters -- maybe they'll help another journalist who gets a crack at Palin -- and here are a few I thought were great.
The always wise domini did my job for me.
My favorite questions from this thread:
What is a fair tax on oil production?
Louisiana imposes a 12.5% tax on oil production. You raised the tax on Alaskan oil production to 25%, resulting in a 16.5% decline in production since 2005.
Is Louisiana's tax too low or is Alaska's tax too high?
-- jiminmpls
As Governor, you increased the tax on Alaskan oil production to 25%, resulting in a 16.5% decline in production since 2005. Over 90% of the profits earned by the big five oil companies come from foreign operations, yet McCain proposes reducing the taxes on these profits.
Why do you support increased taxes on domestic oil production but lower taxes on foreign oil?
-- jiminmpls If Iowa collected a 25% tax on corn production and paid all Iowa residents a dividend on that production, wouldn't that be considered socialism?
-- jiminmpls
As a devoted Christian and follower of Jesus Christ why did you take so much delight in sneering at Barack Obama's work as a community organizer in your acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention? Aren't Christians called to carry God's work into all places?
-- tmoodydtx
Thanks to Secretary Paulson's bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac it appears the taxpayers could be on the hook for hundreds of billions. Can you tell the taxpayers why they should be responsible for bailing out the mortgage industry when, under your and McCain's economic plan, you're calling for still less regulation?
[and go Campbell Brown on it-don't let her change the subject]
-- natesmith124
in your career, you've always been able to take your children to work, even breastfeeding your infant in the governor's office. that's terrific. in your new position, what will you do to make sure all other working women in america have the same opportunities you've had?
-- phillycat
My own questions are:
What exactly have you done for people with disabilities in the past?
Why should we trust you with nuclear codes, given some of the "Apocalypse in the Middle East" types your church has flirted with?
Are Georgians Russian, Asiatic, or Slavic? Why does this matter?
loganfletcher wants to know:
In no particular order:
1. Whether or not she believes that waterboarding is torture.
2. Whether she thinks Iraq was connected to the attacks of 9/11.
3. Whether she believes it should be legal to own an automatic
assault weapon.
JillRL suggests:
1. You accuse Obama of raising taxes, but isn't it true that during your term as mayor of Wasilla you raised the sales tax in order to build a hockey complex that left your town $22 million in debt. Is that not a tax-and-spend policy that you now decry?
2. You say you are now against earmarks, but isn't it true that under your leadership your town hired its first lobbyist in order to obtain $26 million in earmarks--which was about $4000 per citizen? What if every city in the US received earmarks equal to $4000 per citizen? Could the US Treasury handle that?
3. You claim that your experience as a mayor of Wasilla prepared you to perhaps be President. Isn't it true that the mayor's job was to administer the town, and that for the first time, once you were elected, an independent administrator had to be hired as you were being threatened with a recall for the way you mis-handled your administerial powers?
bungo pony wants to know:
Ask her why she feels that community organizers have no responsibilities when they're the ones taking on responsibilities to improve conditions in their neighborhoods.
Asehpe asks:
Governor Palin, the McCain campaign has now claimed it also wants to bring about change in Washington. Which policies of the current Bush administration does the McCain campaign want to reverse? And which ones do you personally want to reverse? And why?
Governor Palin, it has been claimed that you are convinced global warming is not man-made. Why is that so? And also, regardless of the origin of global warming, do you think it is real? And if so, what should America do against it?
Ric Caric says:
Gibson should ask Palin how long a prison sentence she would mandate for women who get abortions. He should also ask whether doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel should receive longer sentences than the pregnant women involved.
And just_call_me_cassandra wants to know:
What does "victory" in Iraq mean, and how will we know when we have achieved it?
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