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My letter to ABC News

Sent today:

So Charlie Gibson has scored the first interview with Palin after the GOP convention. Congratulations! But I wonder why they chose Gibson. Today on Fox News, a McCain spokesman said he will only release Palin to the media when he's convinced they will be "deferential" to her. If you are at all deferential, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Charlie Gibson's pre-convention interview with John McCain was a softball suck-up interview of the first order: a shameful piece of puffery. I imagine they've chosen Gibson to interview Palin because they expect the same kid-glove treatment. But the American people want some answers.

So my suggestion is this: spare us the domestic soap-opera distractions. Don't ask anything about Bristol's pregnancy. Don't ask about the First Dude's snowmobile. Don't ask about Trig's Down syndrome. Don't ask about Track's deployment.

Instead, how about this? Ask about issues.

Ask about her position on Georgia. Ask about her view of the new Pakistani prime minister. Ask about housing. Ask about her flip-flops (on earmarks, on cooperation with Troopergate). Ask about her support of creationism. Ask about her view that global warming isn't anthropogenic. Ask aobut NATO expansion. Ask about Darfur. Ask about Zimbabwe. Ask about nuclear waste disposal (including Yucca Mountain). Ask about unemployment. Ask about the estate tax (don't you dare call it the death tax). Ask about Iraq strategy. Ask about the value of the dollar. Ask about unionization.

Don't be a doormat, Charlie. Despite your history, you don't have to be.

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