Friday's NBC Nightly News carried the third excerpt from Brian Williams' time Wednesday with John McCain and Sarah Palin and, unlike his challenging approach to basic McCain-Palin premises in segments aired Wednesday and Thursday night, Williams kept it light as he asked how she's “liking” the campaign trail, wondered, when she cited “lies” about her, if there's “anything you want to correct the record on?” and raised “the inevitable question about her future in politics?” But he made up for the soft take in advance by prefacing the interview excerpt with a recitation of her “tough week.” Though it was more of a “tough week” for Palin through the media's prism than reality, Williams justified the “tough week” description:

She had told a student questioner the Vice President was quote “in charge” of the U.S. Senate. Then came the story about the RNC ponying up $150,000 for a new high-end wardrobe and other personal items, damaging to the self-described hockey mom.

But the more damaging numbers, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing 55 percent of respondents now believe Palin is not qualified to be President. Then just today Palin and her husband were placed under oath for depositions in the so-called Trooper-gate investigation in Alaska.

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“Williams Hits McCain & Palin with Powell's Charge She's Unqualified,” my NewsBusters item on the first excerpt, aired on Wednesday's NBC Nightly News:

Brian Williams, who was enamored with Barack Obama in two interviews this year in which he celebrated the liberal Democrat's achievements, in a Wednesday interview with the Republican ticket challenged the premises of their campaign. Recalling the woman in an audience who claimed Obama is Arab, Williams channeled left-wing efforts to discredit McCain: “Did this campaign get out of your control?”

When McCain raised Joe Biden's warning that Obama's election will precipitate “an international crisis,” Williams countered with how “Joe Lieberman said on Face the Nation quote, 'our enemies will test the new President early. And it has happened throughout modern history.'” Unsatisfied by McCain's explanation, Williams followed up: “When he says the new President will be tested, though, I'm missing how that's different from Senator Lieberman saying quote 'our enemies will test the new President early.'”

In the last question in the interview excerpt aired on Wednesday's NBC Nightly News, Williams forced them to respond to Colin Powell as Williams cited his assessment Palin is unqualified:

Let me ask you both about what must have been a hurtful Sunday for you especially, you Senator McCain, Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama and Governor, respectfully, the heart of his quote, about Governor Palin, Senator McCain, "I don't believe she's ready to be President of the United States which is the job of Vice President. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made." When you heard those words from a man you've known for a long time, what was your reaction, saying basically we have little to judge these future leaders on except for the big decision of picking a running mate?

Williams had set up the segment by highlighting news that the RNC spent $150,000 on clothing for Palin and her family, followed by:

Then there are the polls out there, our own showing the GOP ticket ten points down with most respondents now saying Sarah Palin is not qualified to be President.

My Thursday posting, “Williams Pushes McCain & Palin on Ayers, Avoid Wright, Define 'Elite,'” recounted the second excerpt which ran on Thursday's NBC Nightly News:

In the second excerpt of his interview with John McCain and Sarah Palin, NBC's Brian Williams continued, for the second night, to challenge the premises of the McCain-Palin campaign as he pushed back at describing William Ayers as a “domestic terrorist” since “it give it a vaguely post-9/11 hint” by associating terrorist with “domestic crimes,” so “is an abortion clinic bomber a terrorist?” Instead of prodding McCain about why he hasn't cited Jeremiah Wright when Obama had a long-time close relationship with the fount of anti-American and racial rants, Williams sought assurance Wright will remain off the table: “Are you going to keep your promise not to involve Reverend Wright in the campaign?”

Williams next snidely demanded to learn from Palin “what is an elite? Who is a member of the elite?” before pressing her: “Governor, are you a feminist?” (Last month, CBS's Katie Couric posed the same question: “Do you consider yourself a feminist?”)

Setting up the interview excerpt on Thursday's NBC Nightly News, Williams highlighted how “Sarah Palin's day today was spent prepping for tomorrow when Sarah and Todd Palin will be deposed under oath in that so-called Trooper-gate case” and: “The deposition, along with yesterday's revelation of that new $150,000 wardrobe and her struggle earlier this week to define the job of Vice President, have all brought a lot of unwelcome attention to the Palin side of the campaign.”

From the Friday, October 24 NBC Nightly News, the third and final excerpt, with the interview session conducted Wednesday outside an Akron-area high school:

BRIAN WILLIAMS: NBC News “In Depth” Tonight, we're back more on the campaign trail.  Specifically more of our interview with Sarah Palin. We caught up with her on the campaign trail in Ohio this past week, an eventful week. Tonight we talk about the campaign experience, her relationship with John McCain, and what she says the media got wrong.

By the time we caught up with the GOP ticket on the trail at midweek, it had been a tough week for Sarah Palin. She had told a student questioner the Vice President was quote “in charge” of the U.S. Senate. Then came the story about the RNC ponying up $150,000 for a new high-end wardrobe and other personal items, damaging to the self-described hockey mom.

But the more damaging numbers, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing 55 percent of respondents now believe Palin is not qualified to be President. Then just today Palin and her husband were placed under oath for depositions in the so-called Trooper-gate investigation in Alaska.

McCain and Palin don't relate to each other like close friends. They've only really known each other for two months and for most of that time they've been traveling in separate orbits across the continent. When they're together, at least in front of a visitor, they catch up on each other's children and talk about that day's campaign strategy.

Just this week, Palin seemed to be taking charge of more of her message and her time with the media. At one point she broke away from her handlers to take a few questions on an airport on tarmac.

SARAH PALIN: We're doing interviews everyday. We've got interviews scheduled every day.

WILLIAMS: Are you liking it more?

PALIN: I've loved it from day one. My life has been an open book. And my life is an open book today. And, you know, Americans deserve to know that the background, the associations, the affiliations of the VP candidate. I'm willing to continue to be an open book. But I tell you, there have been some unfair shots taken by some of your colleagues against, certainly, trying to spin my record into something that it is not and that's been a little bit frustrating. But I think the most frustratingthing has been some unfair shots taken against my family because they have been based on lies and that's kind of hurtful.

WILLIAMS: Anything you want to correct the record on?

PALIN: We've been trying from day one to correct the record on things like my alleged attempts to censor books. Of course, that's never happened. And my record of -- oh, shoot, you know I'm not going to rehash some of the old, ugly stuff. But, Brian, there is some frustration there in understanding you can't pick a fight with those who buy ink by the barrel full in the media. It doesn't do any good. But if these things were true that have been said about me or my family or my record as a Governor and Mayor, if those things were true, I wouldn't like me either if I were to believe all of the things that have been reported. There's been a lot of false allegations out there.
 
WILLIAMS: Our brief conversation led to the inevitable question about her future in politics, if she and John McCain do not win on November 4th.
 
PALIN: As for furtherance in a political career, I'm not even going to think about that. I'm thinking between now and November 4th, what it is that we have to do in reaching out to the electorate, letting them know who John McCain is, what we represent, and how electing John McCain is the right decision for the feature of America.

WILLIAMS: Even though you know the talk about you will start the day after the election if you're unsuccessful?

PALIN: Well, I'm concentrating on November 4th and just, you know, having alot of faith in the wisdom of the people, understanding that getting the economy back on track and winning the wars, John McCain is the right leader to get us there on both those fronts.

MSNBC.com video of what aired on the NBC Nightly News.

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center