'20/20' co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas interviews Gov. Sarah Palin.
(Courtesy Shealah Craighead, McCain 2008)More Photos
VARGAS: But when you use words like socialism, or, or say he's palling around with terrorists or hanging out with a Palestinian professor, which you just said in the rally ... you seem to be saying that he is un-American somehow ...
PALIN: Not a ...
VARGAS: ... or might be dangerous somehow.
PALIN: Not ... not at all. Not, not calling him un-American. There is nothing wrong, though, with calling someone out on their record, their associations. In fact, Barack Obama challenged John McCain to do just that. He said, "If you have an issue with my association ... " with Bill Ayers, is what he said, that unrepentant domestic terrorist that campaigned to bomb our own United States Capitol and Pentagon, he said, "Talk to me about it in the debate." He, he called him out on it. So, McCain, he's not afraid of a fight. He's, you know, he, he's ready to do whatever he can to put his country first. So, he talked about it. The association, issue here, it's not mean-spirited. It's not negative campaigning. It's important and fair to the electorate.
VARGAS: But, set the record straight. Do you think Senator Obama is as patriotic, as American, as honorable as John McCain?
PALIN: I am sure that Senator Obama, ... cares as much for this country as McCain does. Now, McCain has a strong, solid track record of his ... I think, some manifestations of the opportunities that he's had to prove that patriotism, and that love for country, but no. A ... and I don't want anybody to ever put words in my mouth, and, and, you know, I'll fight hard against any kind of false allegation in terms of what I've said or what I've meant. I'm ... I'm, for the record, stating, no, that, I'm not calling someone out on their love of country or level of patriotism.
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