Palin to Hannity: Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Should Have Been Profiled

Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Sarah Palin tells Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity that she thinks the Fort Hood slayings of 13 soldiers was an act of terrorism and that the alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, should have been profiled. "I am going to use the word—profile this guy, profile in the sense of finding out what his radical believes were," she tells the host in an interview airing tonight at 9 p.m.

In the wide-ranging interview, highlighted below, Palin says she realizes that her support of profiling will lead liberals to bash her. "But I say profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent American lives. I'm all for it then."

Palin is promoting her 2008 campaign book, Going Rogue, which many see as a prelude to a 2012 presidential campaign. With Hannity, she didn't shut the door, and in fact she joked that her critics, like TV's Tina Fey, should plan on having some good material for a very long time.

"You're going to hear a lot from me," said Palin, who said she'd like to help causes dedicated to kids with special needs. And, she added, "the haters are going to have a whole lot of material. Tina Fey, she may have a whole lot of material coming up."

Below are excerpts of Palin's interview with Hannity provided to Whispers:

ON WHETHER SHE THINKS FORT HOOD WAS AN ACT OF TERRORISM
"I certainly do, and I think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place, and I think that it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect to not — I am going to use the word — profile this guy, profile in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were."

"Now, because I used the word profile, I am going to get clobbered tomorrow morning.  The liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning.  They're going to say she is radical, she is extreme."

"But I say profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent American lives, I'm all for it, then."

ON THE ROLE SHE WOULD LIKE TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE
"I want to help those worthy causes like special needs, making sure that our world is a more welcoming world for the most special ones. Don't know if necessarily that means running for higher office, but you know, my life is in God's hands, and I'm seeking that path that he would have me on."

"You're going to hear a lot from me.  So, you know, the haters are going to have a whole lot of material.  Tina Fey, she may have a whole lot of material coming up."

ON WHERE SHE'LL BE IN 2012
"I do not know.  I wish that I could predict and — and prepare for what's going to happen in four years."

ON HER WORST CAMPAIGN MOMENTS
"[M]y personal e-mails being hacked and then being broadcast around the world."

ON THE NEWSWEEK COVER PHOTO OF HER
"It was just — just another little shot."

"But in the grand scheme of things, of course, things like that really don't amount to a hill of beans, when there are many things that are going wrong, something's going right, but something's going wrong in our country that people want to hear about and talk about." 

"I think that the American people, they're tiring of the tabloidization of some people, like me.  And they want to get to the issues."

ON THE LETTERMAN ATTACK AND WHETHER SHE WILL GO ON HIS SHOW
"[I]t's sexist and it's — it exploits an innocent child and — and I don't think it's cool.  I don't think it's funny."

"I'm not out for vindication.  But I'm thinking practically, economically, in — in terms of David Letterman is that I don't want to boost his ratings.  So, no, I have no desire to."

ON CAMPAIGNING WITH MCCAIN
"And 95 percent, though, of the campaign was absolutely amazing, awesome, invigorating, energizing." 

"And unfortunately, you know, not enough pages available in a book to get to describe all of that, but about the 5 percent of the conflict is in the book."

ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S "GIFTS"
"As a person, I think he's very charismatic, quite articulate. Very, very talented as a politician"

 "I'd like to see him put all of those God-given talents that he's so full of to better use for America."

ON WHETHER SHE THINKS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S "RADICAL"
"I will not hesitate to say that his associates have been extremely radical and we see that then in some of the appointments he has made."

ON WHETHER SHE THINKS PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS A PRE-9/11 MENTALITY
"There are some actions that are being taken today that would make someone assume that that is what is that mentality is." 

ON OBAMA'S POSITION ABOUT TALKING TO AHMADINEJAD
"I do believe that [President Obama] has evolved from that position that he took as a candidate, and he realizes now you cannot make such a promise, not when you're dealing with these mad men, who do want to destroy America and wipe like Israel off the face of the earth."

"[T]here are other countries that we need to start putting pressure on, like Russia, and make sure that Russia is recognizing too that we're not going to put up with those threats of this Iranian regime that is so threatening and so controlling."

ON THE UNITED STATES' RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA
"Well, we have to start cleaning up our own house here in America and not so much — well, it's going to be twofold — but we can't just look at China and blame them for some kind of trade imbalance.  It's also our fault, because we had spent so much money."

ON THE KATIE COURIC QUESTIONS AND HOW SHE WOULD ANSWER THEM DIFFERENTLY
"She asked about what I read, and I read — I read Newsmax and the Frontiersman and Wall Street Journal and everything online.  I absorb the news via many, many sources."

ON HOW SHE WOULD REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE A TINA FEY-LIKE "CARICATURE IMAGE"OF HER
"They need to start by reading my book and not believing the tabloidization or the mainstream media that wants to portray me as something that I am not."

"Read the book, my own words, and then judge me by that.  Judge me by record.  Judge me by my accomplishments as a mayor and a city manager and an oil regulator and a governor, and then if they still hate me, well, so be it."

ON THE BIGGEST FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGE FACING THE COUNTRY
"Fighting the war on terror, still."

ON WHETHER SHE WORRIES ABOUT HER SON IN THE MILITARY SERVING UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA
"I want to make sure that my son and that every soldier, that every member of our military is equipped to the fullest, and has a commander in chief who is fully, fully committed to their mission."

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