Charlie Gibson's Sarah Palin Cheat Sheet

Why did the McCain campaign grant the first post-convention interview of Sarah Palin to ABC's Charles Gibson? A cynic might guess McCain's strategists are hoping to prove their contention that the "elite media" can't keep its questioning in bounds by bringing in one of the guys responsible for moderating ABC's shamefully petty and off-topic Democratic debate. Or maybe they thought Gibson, having endured a paint-peeling chastening after that debate, would be inclined to stick to the high ground. Or maybe they just pegged him as a Republican after hearing his lecture on how capital-gains tax cuts promote growth.

Whatever the reason, it's vital that Team McCain's furious mau-mauing of the media not prevent Gibson from conducting an aggressive interview. There are lots of questions Palin needs to answer about her views and her record, and -- sorry, Steve Schmidt -- some of those questions quite appropriately touch on her family life.

Here are a few questions Palin's handlers will no doubt decry as out of bounds, but which I'd like to see asked:

-You're on record as favoring abstinence-only sex education. Has your teenage daughter's pregnancy caused you to reconsider that stance?

-You went out of your way to conceal your pregnancy from your constituents in Alaska until one month before you gave birth. Do you think a vice president or president has the right to keep major information about his or her health from the public?

-Your views diverge from John McCain's in several areas, most notably on global warming and on the question of whether abortion should be legal in cases of rape and incest. Given McCain's advanced age and history of cancer, would you pledge to support policies of his that you disagreed with in the event of his death? Have you and he discussed the matter?

-Spokesmen for your campaign have argued with reports claiming your vetting process was highly abbreviated. Please clear up the confusion. When did vetting process begin? When was your first meeting with the head of McCain's search committee?

-In your acceptance speech, you portrayed yourself as a reformer who battles earmarks and wasteful government spending. Yet as mayor of Wasilla, you aggressively solicited federal cash. How do you reconcile these positions?

-It's been reported that as mayor you tried to have books banned from the town library. Please clarify exactly what happened. Between that and your media-bashing, is it safe to say you're not as big on the First Amendment as you are on the Second?

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