In Fox Debut, Sarah Palin Calls 'Game Change' Charges 'Crap'

In her first night as a paid contributor to the Fox News Channel, Sarah Palin spent most of her air time discussing "Game Change," a controversial new book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin that casts many politicians, including Palin, in a bad light. But Palin partially confirmed one story in the book: that when she became John McCain's running mate, she thought the 9/11 hijackers might have had connections to Iraq.

"I did talk a lot to [campaign strategist] Steve Schmidt about the history of the war and about where perhaps the 9/11 terrorists came from, and if there could have been any connection to Saddam Hussein," Palin said during an interview with Fox's Bill O'Reilly. But she said she was not blaming 9/11 on Hussein, a claim Heilemann made in an interview with "60 Minutes."

"These reporters weren't there, and I really think that most of America doesn't care about that kind of crap," Palin said, eliciting a hearty statement of agreement from O'Reilly. "I don't think I have ever met these guys. They certainly didn't interview me for the book."

Palin smiled throughout her appearance, and her interaction with O'Reilly was light and relaxed. "I'm grinning today and I'm so appreciative to be here with you today and the team at Fox News for the fair and balanced news that voters of America deserve," she said.