This woman is going to be a faint heartbeat away from running our country...
KING: Let's assemble the panel. In Cleveland, Paul Begala, the Democratic strategist, CNN political contributor and author of "Third Way, Why George W. Bush Loves John McCain." In Washington, Todd Harris, former McCain press secretary, a former communications director for Fred Thompson, a supporter of John McCain. Here in L.A., Stephanie Miller, host of "The Stephanie Miller Show." And in New York, Andrea Tantaros, Republican strategist, and a supporter of John McCain.
Folks, Sarah Palin is talking a little more. Tonight, she took some questions at a town hall meeting in Grand Rapids. Asked to address her foreign policy credentials. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Palin, there has been quite a bit of discussion about your perceived lack of foreign policy experience. And I want to give you your chance. If you could please respond to that criticism and give us specific skills that you think you have to bring to the White House to rebut that or mitigate that concern.
PALIN: Well, I think because I'm a Washington outsider that opponents are going to be looking for a whole lot of things that they can criticize and they can kind of try to beat the candidates here, who chose me as his partner, to kind of tear down the ticket. But as for foreign policy, you know, I think that I am prepared and I know that on January 20th, if we are so blessed as to be sworn into office as your president and vice president, certainly we'll be ready. I'll be ready. I have that confidence. I have that readiness.
And if you want specifics with specific policy or countries, go ahead and you can ask me. You can even play stump the candidate if you want to. But we are ready to serve.
(END VIDEO CLIP
KING: Todd Harris, forgive me, was that question answered?
TODD HARRIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Look, Larry, I'll happily take her two years of executive experience as Governor of Alaska to the year and a half that Obama was in the Senate before he ran off to --
KING: The question was, Todd, why didn't she answer the question?
HARRIS: Well, look, if you're going to compare foreign policy experience, Larry, she's got --
KING: That wasn't the question. The question was, what is your foreign policy experience? She didn't ask about Barack, she asked about her.
HARRIS: Well, and I would say compared to Barack Obama, she's got just as much experience as he does. And in terms of our entire ticket, when you've got John McCain and Sarah Palin, in terms of their foreign policy experience, in terms of their ability to keep this country safe, I feel very comfortable with where they are. But I'll tell you, if the Democrats want to make this an election about experience, I think they're making a huge mistake.
KING: OK. The question was asked, though, by a person at a town hall meeting. Paul, what did you make of the answer?
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You know, it was a non- answer. But that's a step up from her previous answer, which was preposterous. Her previous answer was, you know, from parts of my state, you can see Russia. Well, you know, from my backyard I can see the moon, but I'm not an astro-physicist. It's silly.
And Todd makes a good point. This is not necessarily about her qualifications. It's about John McCain. What kind of man at age 72, after four bouts of cancer, knowing he's got a 50/50 chance of being president, chooses somebody to be potentially the vice president of the United States, potentially even the president, based on one meeting two years ago and one phone call? He had no idea whether she was qualified when he chose her. And now I think we're learning perhaps she's not.
KING: Andrea, John McCain picked up the baton for her. This was part of his answer at the same place. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: And I'm proud of her obvious knowledge of this nation's energy needs because that's a national security issue. I also know, if I might remind you, that she's commander of the Alaska National Guard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Does that work, Andrea?
ANDREA TANTAROS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Larry, look, we know that Sarah Palin doesn't have as much experience as someone like John McCain on foreign affairs. We all know that. But, you know, you want to talk about policy, I think silly policy, as Paul pointed out, is meeting with terrorist leaders without any kind of precondition. So I would rather have a candidate at the top of the ticket who is stronger on foreign policy and has the right position than somebody who has the absolute wrong positions.
I mean, Democrats had the chance to nominate someone who was experienced. That was Hillary Clinton. And they didn't do so. They nominated someone who on day one has zero foreign policy experience. Like Todd said, if you want to get into this debate about foreign policy experience and experience in particular, you're on shaky ground.
KING: Of the four, Stephanie, doesn't Joe Biden have the most?
STEPHANIE MILLER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, I'm so scared of that clip. I would like you to hold me, Larry. I hope you don't mind. I'm terrified. Like Paul Begala said, by the way, I saw on the ocean on the way here, so I would like to be secretary of the Navy. That is terrifying. She did not answer the question and that is completely untrue. Barack Obama has been in the Senate. He has worked on loose nukes legislation with Senator Lugar. It is preposterous to say he has no foreign policy experience.
That -- what you just saw is what is terrifying to people about Sarah Palin. She is completely unqualified.
KING: Todd, is this going to get rougher?
HARRIS: Oh, I think so. We still have 50 some days left and you're already seeing -- you know, there was a shameful new Obama ad that just went on the air today. It's in Spanish, so it's not getting a lot of coverage in the mainstream media. But it accuses, you know, John McCain of walking lock step with people like Rush Limbaugh on the issue of immigration. And it's just an outright lie and they feel like they can get away with it because it's in Spanish. People aren't paying attention. They're not going to get away with it.
Yes, Larry. On both sides this is going to get really ugly.
KING: A major Hillary Clinton supporter defects to McCain. We'll discuss it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just as George Herbert Walker Bush was nicknamed Bush 41 and his son was known as Bush 43, John McCain, if he wins, will easily become known as Bush 44.
PALIN: Americans are tired of the old politics as usual. And that's why we need that reform to get there. We need to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(NEWS BREAK)
KING: A major Hillary Clinton supporter, lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, who was a major involvement in the Hillary campaign, has jumped ship and endorsed John McCain. Paul, what do you make of that?
BEGALA: I think McCain's lucky to have her. I think she's a very bright person. I know her. She's a very capable person. But, you know, I don't think that she's bringing a lot of people with her. In other words, for every one person who say jumps on the Democratic party, there's probably four or five or six ten Republicans who are saying, I've had enough of Bush and I don't want a third term of Bush, who say that they want somebody who has engaged in the economy and understands it.
When McCain went out the other day and said the fundamentals of the economy are strong, that was the biggest gaffe I've seen in a presidential campaign since Gerald Ford back in 1976 said the Soviet Union didn't dominate Eastern Europe. The fundamentals of the economy are strong. That's what Herbert Hoover said. I wrote it down. He said, the fundamental business of this country is on a very sound and prosperous basis. He said that after the stock market crashed in 1929.
So if you liked Herbert Hoover, you're going to love George Bush and John McCain.
KING: Andrea, do you regard this as significant?
TANTAROS: Not so much. I think a lot of women have already moved over to John McCain's side. I think one of the reasons for that is they see how Democrats are vilifying Sarah Palin the way they did Hillary Clinton. A lot of this has nothing to do with issues. A lot of women are upset and they're angry and they're connecting with Palin on a gut level. Maybe it's not even Palin. Maybe they're just tired of the way the Democrats are behaving. I can't really blame them.
But I do think -- you know, I watched her interview with Campbell Brown tonight. She didn't really offer any too compelling of a reason. I couldn't really make out why she had made the switch. She didn't really discuss issues. So for her separately, I'm not really sure why she made the move, but other women, they're moving over.
KING: Stephanie, you know?
MILLER: I know because Lady Rothschild, the billionaire, who is married to another billionaire, said that Barack Obama is an elitist.
KING: That was the reason she gave?
MILLER: She said that he's an elitist and you know it when you see it.
TANTAROS: That's my point, I'm not seeing any kind of compelling reason for her specifically. But other women, yes.
KING: All right. Todd, Obama has --
TANTAROS: It's not a not a good sign for Democrats. Come on, Stephanie, you can't defend that.
