In an interview on Monday with Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke about how her Christian beliefs guide both her personal and public life and the impact her faith has had on the current election campaign.
Governor Palin has not focused on her faith during the campaign, but is nevertheless unequivocal about publicly and openly expressing her position on faith, life and family issues.
When Dr. Dobson inquired about the importance of faith in her life, Governor Palin said, "It is my foundation, yes, my Christian faith is."
Dr. Dobson asked her to explain how she discerned God's will in the birth of her youngest child Trig, born with Down syndrome: "I was about 13 weeks along when I found out that Trig would be born with Downs Syndrome. To be honest with you, it scared me though, and I knew it would be a challenge and I had to really be on my knees for the entire rest of the pregnancy asking that God would prepare my heart. And just the second he was born it was absolute confirmation that that prayer was answered."
Gov. Palin added, "I've always had near and dear to my heart the mission of protecting the sanctity of life and being pro-life, a hardcore pro-lifer, but I think this opportunity for me to really be walking the walk and not just talking the talk. …
“I feel so privileged and blessed to have been, I guess, chosen to have Trig enter our lives because I do want it to help us in our cause here in allowing America to be a more welcoming nation for all of our children."
The discussion then turned to the Republican platform on life issues, which Dr. Dobson said is the "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."
"Dr. Dobson thank you so much for recognizing that," Gov. Palin responded.
"This is a strong platform [built] 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. They're there, they're solid, we stand on them and again I believe that it is the right agenda for the country at this time."
When Dr. Dobson asked Gov. Palin whether she thinks Sen. McCain "also strongly supports those views" on life and family issues and "will implement it," she said, "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 of the different planks and what they represent."
"It's most important ... that Americans know that John McCain is solidly there on those solid planks in our platform that build the right agenda for America."
Gov. Palin mentioned what she called the "Mainstream Media Filter," the agenda-driven media bias she believe is prevalent in journalism.
"You can't pick a fight with those who buy ink by the barrelful ... this is where my faith becomes even more important to me. I have to have faith that our message will get out to the American people minus the filter of the mainstream media. ... We can't get that message through the mainstream media. ... I have to have that faith that God's going to help us get that message out there."
Dr. Dobson asked whether Gov. Palin was discouraged by polls showing the Republicans behind the Democrats.
"I am not discouraged at all, even hearing those poll numbers," Gov. Palin replied. "To me, it motivates us, makes us work that much harder and it also strengthens my faith because I'm going to know at the end of the day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America will be done, the end of the day on November 4th. "
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