It’s baaack. On Hannity last night, Sarah Palin blew the dust off a phrase that caused her more than a bit of bother back in January.
Chatting about the looming deadline for a debt ceiling solution — and her rejection of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to end the crisis — Palin pulled an old standby out of her bag of tricks.
“We cannot default but we cannot afford to retreat right now either,” Palin said. “Now is not the time to retreat, it’s the time to reload.”
Despite Palin’s strenuous objections, that phrase became synonymous with the overheated political rhetoric many said was a precursor to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in January. (Of course, Giffords was shot by an allegedly deranged madman, but the incident opened up a debate about violence-themed political speech.)
Palin promised to keep speaking her mind in that unique style of hers, despite the criticism. And now, with tea partiers and conservatives using heated rhetoric of their own to attack McConnell’s plan, Palin’s making good on her pledge.
Watch:
Other news from the Hannity interview: Palin says she’ll be announcing her 2012 intentions by summer’s end.
“That time is coming rapidly in front of all of us,” Palin said. “You know, August or September you do have to start laying out a plan if you are to be one to throw your hat in the ring, so that’s basically the time frame.”
Watch the whole interview here and here.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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