ABC's John Berman Suggests Palin Politicizing Son's Iraq Service

On Thursday's "Good Morning America," reporter John Berman raised the issue of whether Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was politicizing her son's military service. Observing that Governor Palin will be giving a speech on September 11 at a deployment ceremony to send her son off to Iraq, Berman critiqued, "And it [the speech] will be open to television cameras. It's such a drastic difference from the way her own running mate John McCain handled his own son's deployment."

A few seconds later, Berman again referenced the deviations between McCain's son Jimmy, also in the military, and Palin's child. "Jimmy's six-month deployment came and went with hardly any public notice. Why? Because John McCain never mentioned it on the stump." He added, "That stands in stark contrast to what Governor Sarah Palin told more than 40 million viewers about her son during the Republican convention last week."

Berman continued to make his point clear by citing John Nagl, a senior fellow at the Center for New America Security. He asserted that the Alaska governor's frequent references to her son's deployment date "impose, conceivably, some risks on the soldier and the unit." The ABC journalist went on to draw contrasts between Beau Biden, son of Democratic vice presidential candidate, and the Palins. (The younger Biden is also being sent to Iraq in the fall.)

Berman insisted, "But many candidates say they don't want to politicize service and have held back on specifics like deployment dates because of safety concerns." Of course, a simple Google search finds many references to Beau Biden's deployment date: October 3, 2008. It seems a bit odd to suggest that speeches by a politician would encourage terrorists to take extra initiative.

A transcript of the segment, which aired at 7:05am on September 11, follows:

ROBIN ROBERTS: And Governor Palin is there in Alaska to attend a deployment ceremony for her son, Private First Class Track Palin, whose army unit is heading to Iraq. In this election, the issue of the Iraq War, a deeply personal one for both the Republican and the Democratic tickets. And our John Berman has more on that now. Good morning.

JOHN BERMAN: Good morning, Robin. You know, Sarah Palin won't just be attending that, she'll be giving a speech. And it will be open to television cameras. It's such a drastic difference from the way her own running mate John McCain handled his own son's deployment. And it's part of what makes this campaign so fascinating. Three out of the four candidates have sons headed to Iraq or have been there already. Private first class Track Palin. Captain Beau Biden. Both headed to Iraq in the next few weeks.

SENATOR JOE BIDEN [talking to troops]: If any of you get shipped back over, keep an eye out for my son, will you?

BERMAN: Marine Lance Corporal Jimmy McCain has been there already. Jimmy's six-month deployment came and went with hardly any public notice. Why? Because John McCain never mentioned it on the stump. Literally never. That stands in stark contrast to what Governor Sarah Palin told more than 40 million viewers about her son during the Republican convention last week.

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN: One week from tomorrow, September 11th, he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

JOHN NAGL (Senior fellow, Center for New American Security): It is the mark of an enthusiastic mother, I think, and a very proud mother. But it does impose, conceivably, some risks on the soldier and the unit.

BERMAN: There are no military restrictions about what family members can say about their kids. But many candidates say they don't want to politicize service and have held back on specifics like deployment dates because of safety concerns.

NAGL: There's always a risk when you talk about troop movements. There's a risk that terrorists could try to take advantage of the fact that they know when flights are leaving.

BERMAN: As for the children themselves, there are some rules. They're not supposed to discuss the details of their missions, which explains Beau Biden's coded speech at the Democratic convention.

BEAU BIDEN: But, because of other duties, it won't be possible for me to be here this fall, to stand by him, the way he stood by me. So, I have something to ask of you. Be there for my dad, like he was for me.

BERMAN: Military officials and analysts tell us the Palin and Biden kids will not get special treatment while overseas. But the one thing that will almost definitely change that is when someone wins the election. They say in this day and age, the military would almost definitely have to take into account the child of a president or vice president in service. Robin?

ROBERTS: Well, of course, we appreciate all of the young men and women who are going over and serving for us. All right, John. Thanks so much.