Post by warrior1972 on Dec 6, 2013 5:31:06 GMT -8
What was Sarah Palin thinking when she took exception to a few of Pope Francis' remarks in an interview with CNN's News' Jake Tapper earlier this week? Still, she quickly walked back her critical comment on Thursday on her Facebook page. Did the half-term former governor of Alaska realize that she was questioning the Pope, criticizing the words of a holy leader? Hardly. No, the conservative rabble-rouser was apologizing for not being clearer about what she meant.
"It was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis," Palin wrote Thursday, Nov. 14, on her Facebook page. "I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn't done mine yet on the Pope's recent comments as reported by the media."
And yet... How could it have not been her intention to be critical when she told Tapper she was "taken aback" by some statements of Pope Francis that "sound[ed] kind of liberal"? Palin's "I don't mean to be critical, but..." moment seems akin to the "Not to be rude, but..." and "I don't mean to pry, but..." moments we've all experienced. No, it was every bit Sarah Palin's intention to criticize the Pope for having "liberal" views. Besides, it is what she does. She criticizes liberal viewpoints.
Even so, she still attempted to employ a disclaimer by insinuating that the media wasn't to be trusted reporting Pope Francis' comments accurately.
"I apologize for not being clearer in my response," she continued in her Facebook post, "thus opening the door to critical media that does what it does best in ginning up controversy."
It isn't "ginning up controversy" when the media reports exactly what was said. Unfortunately for Palin and fortunately for others who aren't Sarah Palin, quoting her verbatim or simply providing a video or audiotape is enough. Ginning becomes unnecessary. (Spinning, which is what Palin often attempts in an effort at damage control after her often ludicrous comments, then becomes necessary for the former governor.)
But Palin will have her jabs at the media, which she often claims treats her unfairly.
So what did she actually say to Tapper?
"He's [Pope Francis] had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me," Palin said on CNN. "Unless I really dig deep into what his messaging is, and do my own homework, I’m not going to just trust what I hear in the media."
So what will Sarah Palin do once she discovers that Pope Francis has said quite a few things that seem somewhat liberal (but not drastically so), especially in comparison to the staid conservatism that has historically been the hallmark of the Vatican and its pontiffs? Walk back her apology? Talk about her true intentions? Admit, as an evangelical, that she's anti-Catholic or, at the very least, harbors anti-papal views (because many evangelicals believe that "The Beast" prophesied in the Book of Revelations has something to do with the Pope or the Vatican)?
Or maybe she'll just acknowledge that the term "liberal" prompts her to make asinine comments -- even when she's the source.
Still, public figures should steer clear of openly criticizing a Pope, whether his views are conservative or liberal. Not that he's infallible. It's just bad form and doesn't go over well in the court of public opinion.
www.examiner.com/article/sarah-palin-does-not-apologize-for-criticizing-pope-francis-liberal-views
"It was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis," Palin wrote Thursday, Nov. 14, on her Facebook page. "I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn't done mine yet on the Pope's recent comments as reported by the media."
And yet... How could it have not been her intention to be critical when she told Tapper she was "taken aback" by some statements of Pope Francis that "sound[ed] kind of liberal"? Palin's "I don't mean to be critical, but..." moment seems akin to the "Not to be rude, but..." and "I don't mean to pry, but..." moments we've all experienced. No, it was every bit Sarah Palin's intention to criticize the Pope for having "liberal" views. Besides, it is what she does. She criticizes liberal viewpoints.
Even so, she still attempted to employ a disclaimer by insinuating that the media wasn't to be trusted reporting Pope Francis' comments accurately.
"I apologize for not being clearer in my response," she continued in her Facebook post, "thus opening the door to critical media that does what it does best in ginning up controversy."
It isn't "ginning up controversy" when the media reports exactly what was said. Unfortunately for Palin and fortunately for others who aren't Sarah Palin, quoting her verbatim or simply providing a video or audiotape is enough. Ginning becomes unnecessary. (Spinning, which is what Palin often attempts in an effort at damage control after her often ludicrous comments, then becomes necessary for the former governor.)
But Palin will have her jabs at the media, which she often claims treats her unfairly.
So what did she actually say to Tapper?
"He's [Pope Francis] had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me," Palin said on CNN. "Unless I really dig deep into what his messaging is, and do my own homework, I’m not going to just trust what I hear in the media."
So what will Sarah Palin do once she discovers that Pope Francis has said quite a few things that seem somewhat liberal (but not drastically so), especially in comparison to the staid conservatism that has historically been the hallmark of the Vatican and its pontiffs? Walk back her apology? Talk about her true intentions? Admit, as an evangelical, that she's anti-Catholic or, at the very least, harbors anti-papal views (because many evangelicals believe that "The Beast" prophesied in the Book of Revelations has something to do with the Pope or the Vatican)?
Or maybe she'll just acknowledge that the term "liberal" prompts her to make asinine comments -- even when she's the source.
Still, public figures should steer clear of openly criticizing a Pope, whether his views are conservative or liberal. Not that he's infallible. It's just bad form and doesn't go over well in the court of public opinion.
www.examiner.com/article/sarah-palin-does-not-apologize-for-criticizing-pope-francis-liberal-views
