Few things so clearly show the irrational state of the American polity as Gov Palin’s nomination. Not only is it astonishing did a major party nominate her, esp. under circumstances that give her a significant chance of becoming President if elected, but worse she is inexplicable taken seriously by such a large fraction of the political community and citizenry
Every interview with Gov Palin has yielded its quota of absurdity. This was no exception.
“Transcript of Katie Couric’s interview with Governor Palin“, CBS News, 25 September 2008 — Part one discussed domestic policy. The subject here was foreign policy. As before, she is just not ready for prime time. Some excerpts:
Couric: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
Sarah Palin: 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’s funny that a comment like that was kinda made to … I don’t know, you know … reporters.
Couric: Mocked?
Palin: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.
Couric: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign-policy credentials.
Palin: Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of. And there…
Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, 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 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 our state.
Most of this is nonsense.
Such as her repeated assertion that Alaska’s proximity to Russia gives her national security experience. As has been said a million times on the Internet, I can see the moon — does that make me an astronaut.
The last statement above is equally misleading. In her 20-odd months as Governor, was she every involved in a trade mission with Russia? Gov Palin can hardly claim as experience everything that a State employee does during her term of office. Update: Making this even more ridiculous is this, from “Are Russian ties a Palin priority?“, Seattle Times, 12 September 2008:
But so far, in her first 21 months of office, Palin has balked at grabbing that opportunity {contacts with Russia}, instead focusing her energies on home-front issues – raising taxes on the oil industry and backing construction of a natural-gas pipeline.
… Opportunities abound for Alaska governors to engage in Russian diplomacy, with the state host to several organizations focusing on Arctic issues. Anchorage is the seat of the Northern Forum, an 18-year-old organization that represents the leaders of regional governments in Russia, as well as Finland, Iceland and Canada, Japan, China and South Korea. Yet under Palin, the state government – without consultation – reduced its annual financial support to the Northern Forum to $15,000 from $75,000, according to Priscilla Wohl, the group’s executive director. That forced the forum’s Anchorage office to go without pay for two months.
Palin – unlike the previous administrations of Gov. Frank Murkowski and Gov. Tony Knowles – also stopped sending representatives to Northern Forum’s annual meetings, including one last year for regional governors held in the heart of Russia’s oil territory. “It was an opportunity for the Alaska governor to take a delegation of business leaders to the largest oil-producing region in Russia, and she would have been shaking hands with major leaders in Russia,” Wohl said.
The immediate jump from Couric’s question about trade into national security — sticking to her dozen or so briefing cards? — sounds absurd, but does contain a grain of truth (but she incorrectly states they “comes into the air space of the USA”).
“Russia steps up bomber runs near Alaska“, Anchorage Daily News, 28 March 2008 — “MENTAL WAR: US military counts 16 incidents since July.” Hat tip to Matthew Yglesias, and Patrick.
“The Tuesday intercept occurred outside U.S. airspace but within the air-control territory known as the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. The Russian planes stayed within international airspace until they returned to base, the Air Force said.”
Some of her views are disturbing, betraying a dangerous lack of understanding about one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. As seen in the following excerpt.
Couric: You recently said three times that you would never, quote, “second guess” Israel if that country decided to attack Iran. Why not?
Palin: We shouldn’t second guess Israel’s security efforts because we cannot ever afford to send a message that we would allow a second Holocaust, for one. Israel has got to have the opportunity and the ability to protect itself. They are our closest ally in the Mideast. We need them. They need us. And we shouldn’t second guess their efforts.
Couric: You don’t think the United States is within its rights to express its position to Israel? And if that means second-guessing or discussing an option?
Palin: No, abso … we need to express our rights and our concerns and …
Couric: But you said never second guess them.
Palin: We don’t have to second-guess what their efforts would be if they believe … that it is in their country and their allies, including us, all of our best interests to fight against a regime, especially Iran, who would seek to wipe them off the face of the earth. It is obvious to me who the good guys are in this one and who the bad guys are. The bad guys are the ones who say Israel is a stinking corpse and should be wiped off the face of the earth. That’s not a good guy who is saying that. Now, one who would seek to protect the good guys in this, the leaders of Israel and her friends, her allies, including the United States, in my world, those are the good guys.
See tThe archive of all FM posts About the candidates for President.
