Governor Palin said yesterday that her comment about attacking terrorist targets in Pakistan, which appeared to contradict the position of Senator McCain, was a response to a “gotcha” question from a voter. “This was a voter, a constituent, hollering out a question from across an area asking, ‘What are you gonna do about Pakistan? You better have an answer to Pakistan.’ I said we’re gonna do what we have to do to protect the United States of America,” Ms. Palin told the “CBS Evening News” in an interview about her exchange with a voter Saturday at a Philadelphia restaurant. The Republican vice presidential candidate’s answer was similar to Senator Obama’s statement that he would support sending American troops into Pakistan to attack high-value targets like Osama bin Laden and other top Al Qaeda leaders who are thought to be hiding in tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Mr. McCain, who sat with Ms. Palin, said in yesterday’s interview that he understands “the day and age of ‘gotcha’ journalism. … In a conversation with someone who you didn’t hear the question very well, you don’t know the context of the conversation. Grab a phrase. Governor Palin and I agree that you don’t announce that you’re going to attack another country.”