Bill Bennett, Kyra Phillips, Wolf Blitzer, and Sarah Palin

CNN has dispatched Kyra Phillips to Alaska to find out whatever she can to smear and destroy Sarah Palin.

Transcript

BLITZER: We hear you fine. PHILLIPS: OK. Great. You're absolutely right, there were a number of things we were sent here to investigate. I can talk about trooper-gate in just a moment.

Let's talk about the pregnancy here of Bristol Palin. And what we've been able to find out, and certain individuals that we've been able to talk to, just to talk more about where the governor stands, actually on sex, teenage pregnancy, sex before marriage, and issues that she has gone on the record with, strong opinions and what is now happening within her family.

Let's go ahead and start with her daughter, 17-year-old daughter. The rumors began, and what we started asking yesterday, when we hit the ground running, and actually over the weekend, if anybody was able to confirm these rumors, that this baby, this brand-new baby that the governor just had recently, was that of her daughter's, and not hers. And that she was trying to cover up this pregnancy. There was even a picture, Wolf, that was circulating on the Internet saying, here's the governor. She's supposed to be six months pregnant but she doesn't look like she's pregnant at all. That got everybody talking and the rumors were just swirling.

As we started to ask questions, as we started to investigate this, the next thing we knew, McCain aides were saying, we're going to have an announcement on this. We need you to stand by. That's when we found out about the pregnancy of her teenage daughter. She has gone on the record, the governor has gone on the record and said she is in full support of accidents, and she doesn't believe in contraception on school grounds and sex education.

We had a chance to actually talk to someone a short time ago who is for the Alliance of Reproductive Justice and this is an organization that says abstinence doesn't work. We have to have better sex education in schools. This is just one example. This underscores the pregnancy of the governor's daughter to why we need sex education in schools. And went into more details on how there have been studies done, that here in the state of Alaska, there's a high number of STDs, that teenage pregnancy is a tremendous problem. No matter how much you talk to your child about not having sex before marriage, or having sex as a teenager, this is what can happen.

We've found out more about the kids, more about the family. Also, during the race for governor, a lot came out about the kids. And that these are typical teenagers. They're not perfect and that there have been typical teenage issues that the governor has had to deal with, while also being in the political limelight. We're investigating more, of course, about the family, and the kids. And it really points out, Wolf, the struggle that Governor Palin is going to have, not only as a mother, but also a political leader, if indeed she gets to the next level. She's going to see more criticism, and a lot of people being tougher on her and her family.

BLITZER: Kyra, on the other story, the trooper story, the -- we're learning now that the governor has hired a lawyer to help her deal with this. You have this state official that works for the governor. He says publicly he was pressured by the governor to fire this state trooper. The governor denies that flatly. And I guess that's the source -- or that's as a result of he says versus she says. There is this investigation under way, because potentially it's a serious charge.

Obviously the McCain people who were vetting her, they knew all about this. They decided that they would leave her as opposed to him. And they went ahead and made this announcement. I suspect this story, this trooper story has perhaps a greater potential, political problem for the McCain campaign than the baby story. But go ahead and give us the latest on what you're hearing on the trooper story.

PHILLIPS: That's interesting. I think both are going to become bigger issues here.

With regard to trooper-gate, Wolf, that's something else we've been investigating, been able to talk to a lot of people. Even the governor's critics about trooper-gate, and a number of her critics, in particular one individual who actually ran against her in the gubernatorial race just a couple of years ago, said should she be fired for that if indeed she came forward to use her rank to get this trooper fired, this man that was married to her sister, this man that's involved in a pretty ugly custody battle with her sister? He said no. She shouldn't get fired. But yes, we should have a discussion about her use of politics to influence a personal situation.

So that's been really interesting, is that no one's come forward and said this is such a big scandal, she shouldn't be able to run alongside John McCain.

But I will tell you, it was all the headlines here in this area. Everybody has been in the community talking about this story, even to this day. Wondering, wow, did she make a phone call? Was she involved in telling members of her staff to make these phone calls? Did she and her husband make certain comments to put pressure on the commissioner to fire her former brother-in-law?

I'll tell you what, now that she has hired a lawyer, we will see more because the pressure is on. People do want answers. They want to know if indeed she was directly involved because this place is the whole issue of character and decision making.

BLITZER: Kyra, stand by. We're watching this story. I want Bill Bennett to weigh in.

Bill, you heard the two stories, totally unrelated; a bitter divorce, a bitter custody battle, involving her ex-brother-in-law and sister, and the charge being, she called this commissioner and she pressured him, in effect, to go ahead and fire the trooper. He says that publicly. The trooper was never fired. She denies there was any inappropriate political pressure from the governor to go ahead and fire her ex-brother-in-law.

BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This is the kind of story that can be appropriately looked at because this is about ethics in government. Same kinds of questions people have asked about Barack Obama, and Rezko, Barack Obama and Bill Aires. Serious questions. Questions about Sarah Palin. I know it was vetted by the McCain campaign. We've all been reading about it.

But that first piece of attack of journalism, Wolf, I've got to speak to. We all praise Barack Obama, myself included, for saying, do not use the case of this child to start to beat up Sarah Palin. And to use this as an opportunity to make points for the Center for Reproductive Pregnancy. That was really out and out outrageous. That should not happen on CNN.

BLITZER: You know it will, Bill.

BENNETT: I know. It shouldn't happen on CNN.

BLITZER: You know it will generate a discussion. Hold on. It will generate a discussion over those who say abstinence only should be taught versus formal sex education, birth control pills, and all of that. And to have a discussion about those issues is totally appropriate.

BENNETT: Totally appropriate separated from this context. That's the point. That's what Barack Obama said. Do not drag this girl's situation into the --

BLITZER: But it's sparked a discussion on the debate --

BENNETT: Fine. I'll get in it. My wife will get into it. These are legitimate issues. We all praise Barack Obama.

BLITZER: But hold on. Should abstinence be taught or should there be formal sex education taught in school?

BENNETT: There should be --

BLITZER: You're a former secretary of education.

BENNETT: Absolutely and I know the issues very well. We should do what's most effective. Abstinence education I believe are the best programs are the most effective. These are decisions made at the state level. That bit of advocacy has no place on CNN and respectable journalism.

BLITZER: You say they should teach abstinence only? Local and state?

BENNETT: Based on the research. Based on what works.

BLITZER: Her policy, her public statement has been that abstinence only is the way to go.

BENNETT: Abstinence advocates, Wolf, say abstinence works every time it's tried. They're absolutely right about that. That is a very strong position. The distribution of condoms has been shown not to be effective. We've got study after study. You can have Mrs. Bennett come on and do that. But can we separate it from the context of this girl's situation, which Barack Obama urged us to do.

Bennett tried to slap some sense into his CNN colleagues.

BACK OFF Bristol Palin. She should not be dragged into ANY political or policy discussion.

This smearing of Sarah Palin and her family is truly despicable.

I think Barack Obama needs to address what's going on in the media and on Lefty blogs. He needs to call off the attack dogs NOW, if he does indeed sincerely believe they should stop.

Why don't these Leftists listen to their messiah? Weird.

Obviously, his statement yesterday wasn't enough.

I'm not convinced that Obama wants them to stop.

It's beyond cruel for the "compassionate" liberals to do this to Palin's daughter. It's worse than what Clarence Thomas and Robert Bork had to endure.

Bristol Palin is 17.

She's not a public figure. She's not running for office or being questioned as part of a confirmation process for a position in government.

The Left's attack dogs have hit a new low.

The abuse is absolutely disgraceful.

All women should be speaking out against this abuse, including women on the Left.

These silent Leftist women are shameless hypocrites.
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