This is what I just posted on Moscow’s community email discussion forum, Vision 2020, regarding the post before this one on Sarah Palin:
“Visionaires,
Last week, after Sarah Palin resigned the governorship of Alaska, I referred you all, or the three or four of you who might be interested, to my blog post about her resignation and her husband Todd’s involvement in the Alaska secessionist movement. In it, I made much about her having confused “succeed” and “secede” in an email exchange leaked to the media.
Gary was one of the three or four mentioned above and called me out on the “succeed/secede” thing, challenging me, as he should, to produce attribution. I have spent much of the last four days trying to find the link; I saw the exchange and didn’t bother attributing my report of it, saving it, or linking readers to it. Now I can’t find it, although I believe the link below represents the series of emails in which I said she confused the two. But it doesn’t matter if I can’t back up what I said.
So — I was wrong. My memory of having read an email exchange isn’t something any of you ever ought to accept as verified truth, and I should have known better and should’ve done better. I was absolutely wrong to point out a mistake on Palin’s part without verifying my source and attributing what I said to that source, and I apologize. Attribution is something vital to the print journalist’s role in uncovering and reporting the truth, and in this I have not lived up to that standard. Further, Christians consider it sin to malign someone unfairly, and, more importantly, I didn’t live up to that standard, either.
I’m concerned about Palin’s denial of secessionist intent on the part of the AIP, and here’s the link that shows the exchange between her and McCain campaign chief Steve Schmidt:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#31716580
If anyone can verify the “secede/succeed” point, I’d like to have the link. But my apology still stands . . . “
OK. Back to Prevailing Winds . . .
That said, and before I go back to remove the comments about secede/succeed, let me explain briefly why I don’t apologize for criticizing Sarah Palin.
Palin, who I have defended from vicious comments about her parenting in light of her daughter’s pregnancy, and who may be the coolest chick in the room and the most wonderful friend a gal could have, has nonetheless, by her political activities after being picked in August for the GOP national ticket, offered for examination those activities, opinions, involvements, and career, as well as those of her husband. She must, then, be judged on those things, not by the depth of her religious devotion, her pleasing personality, or her single-issue passion — on any single issue. The totality of her brief public career is up for discussion and review, and that review has indicated to me that she is nowhere near ready to be Vice President, President, or, frankly, a lot more than the mayor of Wasilla. I think she lacks the intellectual firepower, ethical fibre, political experience, personal experience, mature worldview, and Christian temperament to assume the national stage, and I grieve that her Christian witness is going to be ravaged should she try for a run against Obama in 2012.
(Just like my Christian witness is tarnished by what I’ve apologized for above).
She’s not ready, doesn’t seem to be capable of being ready, and doesn’t much care. Neither do her supporters. I would remind them that “sassy” might make for a fun friend, the ability to “work a room” might energize the base, but it isn’t enough for political office or national statesmanship. Those who love Sarah Palin and those who love the Lord should pray with fervor that she realizes it.