Does Palin Speak For McCain?

If anyone out there was still considering thowing in their lot with McCain, Palin said something very interesting today. In an interview with Focus on the Family's James Dobson, she was asked about McCain's support for the GOP platform:

DOBSON]: He's got some pretty powerful things to say and I do hope that the American people are listening to the concerns being expressed. I have to admit that early on, especially during the primaries I had a hard time deciding what direction I thought we ought to go. And there are concerns, have been concerns within the Republican party that really agitated me. But I am telling you the Republican platform is the strongest pro-life, pro-family document to come out of a political party. Even more so than the platforms during the campaigns of Ronald Reagan. There are principles there that just, I've been fighting for, for 30-40 years and you are trying to articulate those same principles aren't you?

[PALIN] Absolutely. And Dr. Dobson thank you so much for recognizing that. This is a strong platform. [inaudible] around the planks in this platform that respect life and respect the entrepreneurial spirit of this great country. And those things, back to the social issues that are what Republicans at least in the past had articulated and tried to stand on. Now finally we have very solid planks in the platform that will allow us to build an even stronger foundation for our country. It is all good and it is encouraging, you would maybe have assumed people would have, that we would have gotten further away from those strong planks. But no, they are there, they are solid, we stand on them and again I believe that it is the right agenda for the country at this time. Very, very clear and contrasted tickets in this election, November 4th. People are going to see the clear contrast, just go to the planks in our platform and that is where you see them.

[DOBSON] In your private conversations with Senator McCain is it your impression that he also strongly supports those [planks in the platform]? I know that he did not oppose that platform when it was written. Do you think he will implement it?

[PALIN] I do, from the bottom of my heart. I am such a strong believer that McCain believes in those strong planks and we do have good conversations about some of the details too, about the different planks and what they represent. And I'm very heartened that John McCain, he doesn't want a vice-president who will check the opinions of me at the door and we talk about some of these. And they are very important. It's most important though, as you are suggesting that Americans know that John McCain is solidly there on those solid planks in our platform that build the right agenda for America.

McCain has previously said he did not support constitutional amendments against abortion or gay marriage and that he did support stem cell research.

The GOP platform, one of the most conservative ever produced, demands a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, another against abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, and a prohibition on stem cell research, even by private labs.

If Palin is speaking for McCain he has a few things to answer for.

via Ambinder