News Post #7

“In India, Sarah Palin bashes President Obama”

At the India Today Conclave in New Delhi, India, Sarah Palin criticized President Obama, saying there would have been “less dithering, more decisiveness” on Libya if she were president. India Today Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie was questioning Palin at the conference. Palin said, “I won’t criticize what [Obama’s] foreign policy has been. But certainly there would have been more decisiveness.” Palin went on to describe the “rich tradition” in America of defending those fighting for freedom, saying Obama should have declared support for the opposition to the Libyan dictator earlier. However, Palin supported much of Obama’s plan, agreeing that ground troops should not be used and a no-fly zone should be implemented. The article goes on to discuss the rest of Palin’s questions. The writer, Andy Barr, describes her as being at ease with other questions about her “beloved tea party.” Additionally, when asked about a potential run in 2012, Palin said it is too early to make a decision. Palin also described herself as “pretty independent” from many in the Republican Party. Finally, the article discusses the one-of-a-kind introduction Palin received from Purie. Purie described her as the “sexiest brand of Republican politics” and said she has a “creative vocabulary.” The article ends with Palin describing Purie’s introduction as an “exemplification” of the kind of welcome she’s received in India. No sources, except for the writer, are given in the article.

This article uses a hard news approach to discuss the comments by Sarah Palin in India. The articles initial focus is the hypocrisy of Sarah Palin’s criticism of Barack Obama abroad. The author presents the information in a somewhat left-leaning slant and is extremely critical of Palin. The article could have easily been presented in a different way, outlining the events of the entire conference instead of focusing on one comment. However, this comment likely increased readership with the headline it uses. The first paragraph states the purpose of the article, including a brief quote from Palin. The first full sentence quote is not used until the third paragraph. The article moves from topic to topic smoothly, and ends with a summary of Palin’s feelings on Purie’s awkward introduction. Overall, the article comes off as uniquely critical of both Palin and her tea party.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51587.html