This explanation probably won’t pass muster with many of her critics, but Sarah Palin insists she didn’t commit a gaffe last week when she said Paul Revere warned the British on his historical ride that signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
On this weekend’s “Fox News Sunday,” the former Alaska governor took on her critics, including one of her Fox News colleagues, Shephard Smith, who had said Palin was on a publicity tour. The shot came after host Chris Wallace asked Palin what she was up to on her bus tour.
“Oh man, it seems like I have answered this question a million times in the last week,” Palin said. “And folks still, I guess aren’t understanding it. At least reporters don’t seem to understand it. Even your own Shep Smith there on Fox News – he announced the other day I was on some publicity tour. I wanted to say, Shep, take it one step further. What am I publicizing on tour? I’m publicizing Americana and our foundation and how important is it we learn about our past and our challenges and victories throughout American history so that we can successfully proceed forward very heady days, rough waters ahead of us, Chris. We need to make sure we have a strong grasp of our foundational victory to move forward. That’s what we are highlighting on the bus tour.”
However, in the midst her bus tour, a video posted on Think Progress last week suggested Palin didn’t know her American history. That wasn’t the case according Palin.
“You know what, I didn’t mess up about Paul Revere,” she said. “Here’s what Paul Revere did. He warned the Americans that ‘the British were coming, the British were coming’ and they were going to try to take our arms. We got to make sure that we were protecting ourselves and shoring up all of our ammunitions and our fire arms so they couldn’t take it.”
But in addition to that, Palin insists Paul Revere was warning the British not to take American arms because they wouldn’t succeed.
“But remember, that the British had already been there,” Palin said. “Many soldiers for seven years in that area. And part of Paul Revere’s ride — and it wasn’t just one ride — he was a courier, he was a messenger. Part of his ride was to warn British that were already there. That, ‘Hey, you are not going to succeed. You are not going to take American arms. You are not going to beat our own well-armed persons, individual, private militia that we have.’ He did warn the British. And in a shout out, gotcha question that was asked of me, I answered candidly. And I know my American history.”
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