Series of Truths, Part II: Palin and Foreign Policy

So I’m at it again. I’m again contemplating how Sarah Palin could possibly be a good, or ready, vice presidential running mate for John McCain.

This time, I turn to her leadership and foreign policy—and how she’s being pampered by McCain and his conservative buddies. For McCain to constantly pursue the notion that Barack Obama is not ready nor prepared to be the President of the United States, and then choose Sarah Palin as his running mate, completely blows my mind. How can anyone in his right mind make BOTH of these statements?

Even Laura Bush stated that Palin lacks sufficient foreign policy experience but not to worry as Palin is “a quick study.” She stated to CCN reporters that Palin has “a lot of really good common sense”. When asked if she thought Palin had sufficient foreign policy experience, Mrs. Bush said: “Of course she doesn’t have that. You know, that’s not been her role, but I think she is a very quick study, and fortunately John McCain does have that sort of experience.” 1

Even Palin suggested that her foreign policy experience is nowhere near enough to lead the nation, when she claimed that she could see Russia from her bedroom window. Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said it right, stating that Palin lacks in foreign policy experience and calls it a “stretch” to say she’s qualified to be president. “I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, ‘I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,’” he said. “That kind of thing is insulting to the American people.” 2

After her main experience of being near Russia, Palin obtained a passport in 2006 and visited soldiers in Kuwait. Her plane refueled in Ireland. She went on vacation in Mexico. Many study abroad students have seen more countries and interacted with more foreign people than Palin has.

Her only other foreign policy experience was just recently, in planned out meetings set up by McCain’s campaign—with international leaders who just happened to be in New York for the UN. Palin had private meetings with Pakistani Presiden Asif Ali Zardari, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, and joint meetings (with McCain) with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh; the two had previously met with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko.

So, she’s ready to be vice president; she’s met with the world’s leaders (only five…?), from the world’s most important countries. Once. And notice, of course, those chosen—Pakistan, Iraq, Georgia, India. What, exactly, is the agenda of the Republican Party? We’re all Georgians, remember?

Oh, and the “fundamentals of the economy are strong.” But that’s another story.

Let’s talk foreign policy for a(nother) second. Joe Biden held a press conference and discussed his views, experience, and knowledge of foreign policy. For almost forty-five minutes. I’d like to see Sarah Palin do that. He spoke continually on every country in our radar. Names, dates, figures, plans. What needs to be done, what is being done, and what isn’t working. Biden knows his stuff. Palin? Don’t worry, the Iraq war is God’s work. We’ll be O.K. Her views on Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan, the Taliban, China, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sudan, … haven’t heard them. Maybe McCain will hire me to talk with her.

Biden ripped into McCain’s policies, calling him the “Odd Man Out,” since even President Bush has sided with Obama and other congressional leaders in finally developing a timeline and exit strategy for Iraq. McCain’s side? We’ll be there indefinitely.

McCain won’t even meet with the Prime Minister of Spain, of a country that’s a NATO ally and has troops side by side with our own in Afghanistan. Rather, he calls him out as one of our enemies that wants to “do us harm.” John McCain is the only one who opposes direct talks with foreign leaders, especially with Iran, going against almost all current leaders, and even past ones - including Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell. 3

His plan for Iran? Stop all nuclear programs and then we’ll talk about your nuclear programs. Wait, what?

Shall I continue? No, no, this is about Palin. Sorry.

Since announced as McCain’s running mate, Palin has only granted two interviews, one town hall meeting, and given zero press conferences. From Marc Ambinder’s political blog:

A senior McCain campaign official advises that, despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won’t submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she’s ready - and until she’s comfortable - which might not be for a long while - the media will have to wait. The campaign believes it can effectively deal with the media’s complaints, and their on-the-record response to all this will be: “Sarah Palin needs to spend time with the voters.” 4

Clearly, the McCain Train (I’ll coin that. Anyone want shirts?) is afraid. Afraid of what might become of them, should the general public realize whom they’ve picked to represent the republican party, afraid of what might happen to her should she be placed in front of cameras and reports, afraid because they had almost no knowledge about the person they chose as McCain’s running mate. Keeping her in the deep freeze will hide the fact that she has no real set ideas or plans with regards to domestic policy, let alone foreign policy, as even Palin herself has laid out.

By hiding Palin from reporters, press conferences, meetings, and by limiting the questions at the vice presidential debate, the Republican Party is all but announcing Palin’s inexperience and admitting that she is not ready to lead.

Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, gave the game away when he said on “Fox News Sunday” that she would not meet with reporters until they showed a willingness to treat her “with some level of respect and deference.” 5

Even her friends from the great state of Alaska aren’t happy. A lady from Anchorage, AK said she had never seen anything like it in the seventeen years she has lived there, when over 1400 demonstrators showed up, to show that not all of Alaska is like, or likes, Palin. Check out the Photo Gallery at Bigfolio.com.

Did you know that Palin changed the laws, making sure that Alaskan women who are given a rape kit must pay for it? Or how about her attempting to get a policeman fired because of his history with her family and friends? Or how about her connections, although denied, to the same lobbyists that currently have an Alaskan Congressmen under investigation? Gosh, there’s just too much to write.

Even McCain has recently avoided talking. At one of his “Straight Talk Express” meetings, reports slung questions at him with hopes of him demonstrating the Straight Talk he stands for and to help explain his stance and understanding (or lack there of) of the economic crisis. 6 Nada, zilp, nothing. When someone yelled to him, “Is this the no-talk express?” McCain just smiled, and boarded the bus.

And when he does finally talk, he’s most likely flipflopping-it seems McCain (and Palin) can’t agree on anything. They had a great understanding of her and her policies when they chose her as VP, but once it got down to the convention and her real self was revealed, whoooooa boy. How many different views can the two have, then share, then differ, and back around again? I’m pretty sure if I were to be picking someone meant to back me up and possibly replace me, I’d want to know right away what they stood for, stand for, believe in, whether or not their daughter is pregnant, and what they had for breakfast. But (as always) that’s another issue. Same with his understanding of Germany and Putin. 7

With all the heat that the Republican Party has constantly thrown at the Democrats, specifically Hillary Clinton and other female leaders, you think they’d expect them to return the favor. Or, maybe they do, and realize what a poor pick for Vice President they have made.



1 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080924/ap_on_el_pr/palin_4
2 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×7103841
3 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/biden-rips-mccain-on-zapa_n_128923.html
4 http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/no_interviews_till_shes_ready.php
5 http://www.ncpolitico.com/mccain-campaign-palin-not-ready-lead
6 http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/01/mccains_previou.html
7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfealLrWLIY
http://bigshow.bigfolio.com/?s=000011662&t=0e6a8ae03101be65098418ccb735e4a1