Palin repeats dubious 'Bridge' claim
Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:48 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Sarah Palin
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger and NBC's Mark Murray
FAIRFAX, VA -- At a huge rally here today, Palin once again repeated her line -- called misleading by non-partisan fact-checkers -- that she told Congress "thanks but no thanks for that Bridge to Nowhere."
As NBC's Lisa Myers reported on Nightly News last night, while Palin did put the final nail in the bridge's coffin, that came after she supported the bridge during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign and after Congress essentially killed the project once it became politically unpopular.
Also during Palin's remarks today, she didn’t mention the controversy over Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment from Tuesday.
Palin stuck to her script, not uttering any new lines while introducing McCain at the last rally before she heads home to Alaska. Before today, she had consistently added a new line each day, giving a new soundbite to a speech that has stayed consistent since her introduction two weeks ago and her well-received address at the Republican National Convention.
The only one to delve into the “lipstick” issue was former Sen. Fred Thompson, a surprise warm-up act. Thompson said Palin was undergoing the “most vicious attack” he had seen in politics, “all because she is a threat to the power they expected to inherit and they think they are entitled to.”
Thompson also referenced Obama's former preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, when discussing Obama's change in positions on issues like Israel and campaign finance reform. "Frankly, I think Rev. Wright was correct when he said he’s just doing what politicians do," Thompson said.
Palin now travels to Fairbanks, where she will be welcomed upon arrival with a rally outside the airport. She will see her son Track off to Iraq on Thursday and sit down with her first extensive interview in her hometown of Wasilla.
