Even before Sarah Palin's much-anticipated interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, the Alaska governor said something that would overshadow it. According to WashPo, Palin conflated the war in Iraq with 9/11--a view that even George Bush has backed away from. Immediately, Palin's supporters leapt to her defense. The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol called the WashPo's interpretation of Palin's remarks, "stupid or malicious," claiming that Palin was talking about Al Qaeda in Iraq, not Saddam Hussein. PowerLine calls it, "another gaffe by the Washington Post." Red State goes even further, saying that just because Bush rejected it, "doesn't mean what [he] rejected was wrong." Andrew Sullivan has news for Kristol and company: Palin believes "that the people who planned and carried out the attacks on 9/11 are in Iraq. They're not. No sane person believes they are." Now, the interview...

Does Palin believe in the Bush Doctrine? ABC Political Radar says the answer is "unclear;" TPM is less sympathetic, calling Palin's response, "painful." Even Palin supporters at The Corner admit, "It certainly seemed like she didn't know what it [the Bush Doctrine] was." The Weekly Standard plays damage control, asking, "What exactly is the 'Bush Doctrine'?" HuffPo says Palin was "stumped" by Gibson; Slate says, "flummoxed;" James Fallows calls it, "a disqualifying lack of preparation for the job;" Robert Baird says, "she appeared to have never heard the phrase in her life." Politico says, "it wasn't a great moment for her." Kirsten Powers of New York Post blames ABC saying the network bungled the interview. Real Clear Politics rounds up more reactions left and right.