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Governor Palin Talks to Greta about 9/11 Mosque – August 16 2010

Transcript:

VAN SUSTEREN: We’re back live in Wasilla, Alaska, with former governor Sarah Palin. And once again, President Obama has put himself in the middle of a controversy, this time over the planned mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Now, on Friday, President Obama came out strong in defense of Muslims building that mosque. Then Saturday, when things seemed to get a bit heated, the president clarified his statement, saying he would not comment on the wisdom on the decision to build a mosque there. Governor Palin?

PALIN: Well, you know, it sounds cliched to say that the president is disconnected from the American people on this issue, but how else do you describe it? He just doesn’t get it, that this is an insensitive move on the part of those Muslims who want to build that mosque in this location. It feels like a stab in the heart to, collectively, Americans who still have that lingering pain from 9/11.

VAN SUSTEREN: So but where do you divide the line? Because you’ve got the 1st — you know, they do have a — there is a 1st Amendment to practice your religion. But the American people overwhelmingly say, well, you know, while they recognize the right, they just don’t want the right exercised there.

PALIN: Well, exactly. And nobody argues that that freedom of religion that the Muslims have to build that mosque somewhere. However, there are 100 mosques already in New York. To choose and be so adamant about this exact location just a block or two away from 9/11, again, is that knife, it feels like. Now, if the purpose of this mosque, as we are lead to believe, is to create this tolerant environment, to avoid anything like a 9/11 ever repeating, you have to ask why didn’t one of those 100 mosques already accomplish such a thing, allowing that tolerance and that acceptance of differing views? So I don’t buy into that reason, that that’s the purpose of this location being chosen.

VAN SUSTEREN: I’m curious what the sort of political effect will be because the statement the president made was not one that was sort of, you know, off-the-cuff, when he got sort of caught walking in some place and some reporter throws a question. He actually — you know, he thought about it. He made a statement at a public dinner. So there must have been some discussion about it.

PALIN: There had to have been discussion about it. It had to have been a deliberative and well thought-out comment that he had made and then had to kind of clarify it the next morning. You know why he had to do such a thing, Greta? You twittered right after he had made that comment. You must have got your information from the press pool or something. You twittered that night, on a Friday night after he gave that comment to the Muslim community as he was celebrating the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic community there in the White House — you twittered what he had said.

And there across the Internet then, the ensuing explosion based on his comment — I have not seen such a thing in the political debate and discourse in this country in quite some time. The next morning, he realized then, I think, Whoops, I better backtrack a little bit, and that’s what he did the next morning.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, I can’t wholly take credit for it because what happens is, is that we get the White House press pool reports that come across the BlackBerry, and it happened late Friday night. And as luck would have it, I’m one of the — I’m the late anchor. And so the minute that I got it, I just duped it onto Twitter and to GretaWire and people picked it up.

PALIN: And once you did, once people picked it up, though, we were appalled! We — we were — it was shocking because this leader of the free world has such power in his words. He should utilize that power in the words to represent the will of the people and not underestimate the wisdom of the people in America. And the overwhelming majority of Americans right now are saying, Mr. President, no, this hurts. This is a slap to those innocent victims who were murdered that day on 9/11. Build the mosque. Build it somewhere. Join the other 100 mosques that are already there in New York, but somewhere else that’s less offensive and less provoking of more pain and — and anger.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, it’s going to have political ramifications because we — already Senator Harry Reid is disagreeing with the president, heading for the hills on it may be — might be sort of a flip way to say it. But there’s the political ramifications, and then there’s also the real substantive problems (INAUDIBLE) What should the president do to try to sort of heal the wound? Because there is a wound in this country between many Muslims — not all of them — and many Americans — not all of them — with Muslims. I mean, how can we at least make some effort to fix this, put this fire out, rather than fuel it?

PALIN: Well, what the president seems to be suggesting is that everybody needs to be so tolerant of others’ beliefs. That is fine. Then let him take that lesson and try to apply it to the debate on the other side if you were right now and talk to that imam, those others who want to build and choose that precise location for their mosque that is so offensive to so many people, and ask them to be tolerant. Ask them to understand America’s feelings on this. And see if then the president can use some of his influence in a more positive, less divisive way. That’s one way that he can help bridge this divide.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, I think it certainly says the president doesn’t pay attention to polls because I think (INAUDIBLE) American people overwhelmingly are opposed to it. I mean, I think the numbers — I haven’t seen the numbers today because I’ve been on the road with you — actually, up in the air with you. But I haven’t seen the numbers, but he certainly – - I mean, he’s making decisions independent of the polls.

PALIN: No, I don’t believe that.

VAN SUSTEREN: You don’t believe it?

PALIN: I believe that’s why he made his comment Friday night. He knew immediately because his advisers told him, You went too far on this. So the next morning, he tried to backtrack that. And now, curiously, he’s not coming out and saying — we want to know — Mr. President, we have a right to know. What’s your position on this? Again, we all know that there is that 1st Amendment right to build a church, a mosque where they want to, if it’s legally appropriate. But what is your position on this? Should they? Do you support it? And we don’t have the answer from him.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, if he wants to come to “On the Record,” we’d be happy to ask him those questions.

PALIN: I hope he does!

VAN SUSTEREN: Anyway, Governor, as always, thank you. And (INAUDIBLE) look at this beautiful yard that she has here. And we’re going to have much more with Governor Palin. You don’t want to miss “On the Record” tomorrow and Wednesday. Governor Palin and her husband, Todd, are taking you to heart of Alaska so you can actually see for yourself this land, this ANWR area, this battle ground of the oil drilling war, make your own decision. We’ll be back here tomorrow night and Wednesday night at 10:00 PM Eastern. We want you back here.