WASHINGTON - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has been widely criticized for citing Alaska’s proximity to Russia as foreign policy experience. But she is not backing down.
The Alaska governor, running mate to Republican presidential nominee John McCain in the Nov. 4 election, defended her position on Thursday in a rare one-on-one session with a reporter.
In only her third nationally televised interview since she was nominated earlier this month — this one on CBS with anchor Katie Couric — Palin was asked what she meant.
“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was — kind of made to — I don’t know, you know? Reporters,” Palin said, explaining that she had been mocked.
Asked to explain why living near Russia enhances her foreign policy credentials, Palin responded: “Well, it certainly does because our — our next-door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of.”
Asked whether she had ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians, Palin answered: “We have trade missions back and forth. We — we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where — where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is — from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to — to our state.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder - Republican vice-presidential nominee Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York on Sept. 25.
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It is a terrible prospect that someone with such little intelligence, unable to understand questions and even less to understand the answer that have been gunned into her head is in close proximity to the White House. It is a joke already that someone with so little skill is governing a state. Americans wake up, this dire time needs people with brain and skill and not a team of Palin/McCain with no skill, no vision nor solutions to steer this country into a safe environment. Let Palin stay in Alaska, hopefully the cold will freeze her uncontrolled outbursts of stupidity
- Posted by Joe KriegelSweet Sarah - The debutante, who acquired her foreign expertise staring at Russia from her porch, while stirring in a delicious ‘moose au chocolat’…
- Posted by Bernard BiegerTo those of you babbling about \’experience\’, two things:
1. BRAINS COUNTS. Intelligence and the ability to understand, and the ability to put together a coherent sentence, MATTERS.
2. Second, on experience: Sarah Palin ran a town that was the size of my HIGH SCHOOL. Now she runs a state that is the size of my *not large* CITY.
Cmon, this is NOT experience! (She even had to hire a city administrator to run her little town of Wasilla, which no one before ever needed.. why?)
The scariest thing is that the ONLY way to learn is to know that you are ignorant - that you NEED to learn! Pretending that she has \’foreign policy\’ experience or \’executive experience\’ (so this makes every mayor of a city over 650,000 equal the Presidency?) -in ohter words, her pretense - is far more scary than her actual inexperience.
And for John McCain to show the complete and utter lack of judgment he exercised to choose such a pretender - as an Independent, he has completely lost my respect and trust.
- Posted by Alex aI believe Sarah Palin will be excellent in her Veep upcoming speech with Joesph Biden,considering that she have the blessing of her Witch Doctor praying for her protection.Joe Biden don’t stand a chance knowing this fact.Now let me say something else if it was Barack Obama who had a Witch Doctor praying for his protections,the White Media would not stop repeatedly showing this video clip,and making they their Racist comments about him.John McCain knows the true reasons why he pick Sarah Palin,the reasons why he pick her because he knew that she is completely useless,and that he will get rid of her by election time.McCain also try playing his political delay campaign game,in which failed,by claiming his involvement was needed when it was not.McCain involving himself into the debate caused a moment upsetting delay,in which those in involved in the 700 Billion dollars bailout,was profoundly happy to see the back of him.McCain loves to talk about his experiences,I will not be voting for an old gran-father to be president that lives in the past,we need a new future beginning for the 21st century,we can not as nation keep living in the past.Think about it America.NJ1
- Posted by NJ1The GOP should pull an Eagleton and dump her posthaste…. not that it really matters, however, considering that this will be a Dem-landslide year, no matter what (thanks to G.W. Bush & Company).
- Posted by arnoldpalin is not only inexperienced, but appears to be an imbecile. in order not to do any further damage to america’s image both abroad and at home, and to limit further damage to the reputation of the republican party, she should step down. mccain may be national leadership material - palin is not.
- Posted by michaelO M G ! She IS the reason for that glass ceiling…
- Posted by alison jacobsonA REPUBLICAN on MSNBC yesterday, when asked if she could win a debate laughed that he’d be surprised at this point if she could even find the debate!!
- Posted by normageneLadies and Gentlemen of the USA, if John McCain and Sarah Palin, win this election, the USA, will become a third world country and every American, will the sing the blue’s, and (God our heavenly father), will not lift a hand to help you especially when this’s such a ugly situation, just think John McCain, he and Sarah Palin, just cancelled their campaigns to come to Capitol Hill, who would run the country if they were in office and decided to not lead the country just (daydream on that)!!
Thanking you in advance I remain,
Clarence Williams -Toronto Canada
- Posted by Clarence WilliamsThis is insane.
- Posted by SheppThe republicans have destroyed the economy over 30 years of dereg the foriegn policy of our present disaster has put us into 2 wars in a part of the world that has had tribal wars for 5000 years but can do Misiion accomplished…this has to stop
And to the what’s better about Obama? post
Education, a capacity to think.Absent from 894th and Barbie
Most of us want to know that our candidates for President and Vice President can think and talk in a rational way. Yes, Obama and Biden are not free of gaffe’s but at least I can understand them! Sarah has only been articulate about issues when a script has been handed to her. Sarah is probably a very good person and reportedly a popular governor. But being a good person and popular with the locals do not constitute leadership qualities necessary for leading our nation.
- Posted by LindaD.U.I.
The Bush/Palin/McCain campaign is wobbling all over the road again, too bad she fired all of the Alaskan Troopers…
- Posted by RayWhat makes all of you people experts? Does Obama have any
- Posted by Jimomore experience on foreign policy or anything else for
that matter, than Sara Palin. NO HE DOES NOT. You can say
well he has Biden, well Palin has Mccain. Come on people
Obama is giving you a snow job, he is saying exactly
what you want to hear and your falling for it hook,line and sinker. I think you need to get on line and check
way back for all of the Radicals he has been been so
cozy with. Is this really who you want to be the leader of our nation? Where has he been, he has never served in
the Armed Forces, knows nothing about them. He has less
qualifications than Plain. SARA PLAIN is ” HONEST, ” FORTHRIGHT,HAS BACK BONE,TELLS IT LIKE IT IS AND MOST
OF ALL BELEIVES IN ” GOD ” and ” FAMILY “. We need a fresh new face in
Washington someone who can tell the “Good old Boys” where to go. You think Obama is qualified just because he
has been in congress fo 3 or 4 years? THINK AGAIN.
” GOD ” help us all if Obama is elected..
GO MCCAIN AND PLAIN !!!!!!!!!
I was raised Republican, and for a long time stood by many of their policies. As happens to most college students, I have slowly leaned towards a more moderate viewpoint.
To say the truth I’m pretty undecided in these elections. I wasn’t too excited about Biden, so when I heard about Sarah I was pretty intruiged.
Strategically, Palin initially looked to be a brilliant choice by McCain. Woo Hillary voters, energize the Republican party, confirm the hard right conservative base, add some youth to grandpa McCain’s campaign…I was excited! Especially since, as a moderate, McCain seemed just “across the aisle reaching” enough for me to still consider him for my vote.
But wow. Wow. My fears are confirmed…and it’s not just this. There have been several incidents where she says things that just really blow my mind.
Even with McCain’s desperate attempt to make her look like she knows what she is doing (let’s throw her on a jet to meet with world leaders! that’ll fix it!), it’s hard to cover up this magnitude of inexperience. Governing a state for a little bit hardly amounts to the lifelong experience needed to be VP, and she is really starting to make that painfully obvious.
Biden vs Palin will be extremely entertaining, for both sides. But I think I might be voting (D) this year…
- Posted by Seanit could be worse- it could be Michelle Bachmann. And it isn’t that we who fear the prospect of this woman assuming national office “don’t get it”- we get it, and we don’t want it. Mrs. Palin lacks the intelligence and ethics to hold any serious position- though she does seem to possess that low cunning so common to many successful politicians.
- Posted by MaryWatching this from Canada… and particularly after reading the comment that if McCain/Palin are elected they would move here, I gotta ask:
Is Canada far enough away to avoid the fallout (economic/political/nuclear)?
- Posted by MobiusI agree with Josh… the media surely does not put in the “uh’s” and “um’s” that Obama uses when speaking without a prompter, or picks apart every faux pas that Biden makes. And as far as being a leader, if Obama’s “pay grade” doesn’t give him the ability to answer a simple question that most people can give their opinion about - “when do you think conception begins?” - then what how will he answer questions concerning economic, foreign, or domestic policy?
Frances
- Posted by FrancesI would prefer seeing Sarah Palin debate Miss South Carolina rather than Joe Biden. That would make for good reality TV. No doubt it would attract top ratings.
- Posted by BenThe only part of this jibberish that isn’t jibberish is that Sarah Palin admitted on national TV the U.S. is spying on Russia from Alaska!!! Brilliant!!
- Posted by RzGrI’ts like watching a slow-motion train wreck. It is up to us to decide whether we want to be on that train, or to have left it at the station. I’m sure you know what rational people would prefer.
- Posted by Robert