Palin flubs.

[Alaska Thunderfvck]

Story:

In her first major interview as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was stumped when asked about the so-called "Bush Doctrine," unable to answer whether she agreed with the six-year-old U.S. policy of military preemption.

Asked by ABC News' Charlie Gibson whether she supported the Bush Doctrine, Palin stared blankly for a moment before turning the question back on Gibson. "In what respect?"

The ABC anchor responded, "Well, what do you interpret it to be?" clearly testing her knowledge of the policy that has been in place since September 2002, before the Iraq war.

Palin couldn't say, offering an answer that didn't even mention preemption. "I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell-bent in destroying our nation. There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made, and with new leadership, and that's the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership comes opportunity to do things better."

Gibson, who clearly felt he had not received a sufficient answer to the question he had asked, proceeded to define the Bush Doctrine for the governor. According to Bush's National Security Strategy from September 2002: "While the United States will constantly strive to enlist the support of the international community, we will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self defense by acting preemptively against such terrorists, to prevent them from doing harm against our people and our country."

Thus, Gibson pressed Palin. "The Bush Doctrine is we have the right to self-defense, pre-emptive strike against any country we think is going to attack us," he noted. "Do you agree with it?"

Finally, Palin came close to offering an opinion on preemption. "Charlie, if there is enough intelligent and legitimate evidence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country," she said.

This is fun too:


Later in the interview, Palin was asked why exactly being the governor of Alaska made her an expert on Russia -- a claim that the McCain campaign has used to justify her national security bonafides. Her response was to cite geographic proximity, claiming that from some points in her home state, one could actually see the increasingly confrontational nation.

PALIN: We have to keep our eyes on Russia. Under the leadership there.


GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions does the proximity of the state give you?

PALIN: They're our next door neighbors. And you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.

There were times during her appearance on ABC that Palin seemingly did not have a full grasp of McCain's own foreign policy positions. For example, when pressed by Gibson whether, in efforts to combat terrorism, the United States should target al Qaeda figures in Pakistan without that country's permission, Palin tried to circumvent the question. The ABC host attempted to pin her down with a yes or no answer, to which Palin seemed to suggest that it would be an American imperative to make such an un-sanctioned attack.

"In order to stop Islamic extremists, those terrorists who would seek to destroy America, and our allies, we must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink, Charlie. In making the tough decisions of where we go, and even who we target. she said.

The response, though hardly definitive, seemed to put her at odds with McCain, who has harshly criticized Obama for saying he would target terrorist leaders that are replenishing their ranks in northwest Pakistan.

[Lunar]

That's not a flub, most Americans wouldn't be able to figure out what was wrong with what she said.

[Eleden]

That's not a flub, most Americans wouldn't be able to figure out what was wrong with what she said.

Exactly.  Voters don't care about the issues.

All she really had to do was sit down, look pretty, and sound halfway intelligent.  Palin could've pulled out a beer bong while dancing an Irish jig, and the polls would've given McCain a 30+ point swing.   

[cinyc]

Why don't ultra-partisan posters provide links to the "articles" you post so that we can evaluate whether you're taking things out of context and how.  I doubt ANY MSM article would have a headline "Palin flubs".

[King]

It was an unnoticeable weak performance.  Joe Biden could score a few times on her if she doesn't read up by the VP debate.

[Alaska Thunderfvck]

Why don't ultra-partisan posters provide links to the "articles" you post so that we can evaluate whether you're taking things out of context and how.  I doubt ANY MSM article would have a headline "Palin flubs".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/palins-abc-interview-stum_n_125818.html

She's "stumped"...she flubbed. Whatever.

[cinyc]

Why don't ultra-partisan posters provide links to the "articles" you post so that we can evaluate whether you're taking things out of context and how.  I doubt ANY MSM article would have a headline "Palin flubs".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/palins-abc-interview-stum_n_125818.html

She's "stumped"...she flubbed. Whatever.

Huffington Post.  Now, there's an unbiased source.

[J. J.]

Ah, actually the "Bush Doctrine" is that states that create a haven for terrorist activities are to regarded as complicit in the terrorist act.

The Bush Doctrine is a phrase used to describe various related foreign policy principles of United States president George W. Bush, created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The phrase initially described the policy that the United States had the right to treat countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups as terrorists themselves, which was used to justify the invasion of Afghanistan.[1] Later it came to include additional elements, including the controversial policy of preventive war, which held that the United States should depose foreign regimes that represented a threat to the security of the United States, even if that threat was not immediate (used to justify the invasion of Iraq), a policy of supporting democracy around the world, especially in the Middle East, as a strategy for combating the spread of terrorism, and a willingness to pursue U.S. military interests in a unilateral way.[2][3][4] Some of these policies were codified in a National Security Council text entitled the National Security Strategy of the United States published on September 20, 2002.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Doctrine

Preemption is only one part of it.

[© Tweed the Younger]

Joe Biden could score a few times on her

hot!

[ps79]

I thought her weakest answer was when she was asked if she had enough experience on national security, and she started talking about energy. Kinda weird, and it emphasized she doesn't have any. All in all, she's eager to do her best, trying to give the best answers possible the way she was taught in the last few days. But that doesn't make her ready. She just isn't, and this interview showed it.

[cinyc]

I thought her weakest answer was when she was asked if she had enough experience on national security, and she started talking about energy. Kinda weird, and it emphasized she doesn't have any. All in all, she's eager to do her best, trying to give the best answers possible the way she was taught in the last few days. But that doesn't make her ready. She just isn't, and this interview showed it.

Barack Obama:
Energy Security is National Security

Any questions?

[Thomas Jackson]

Uh, You CAN see Russia from Alaska. There are two islands in the Bering Straight - Big Diomede and Little Diomede. The big island is Russian and the small one American. They are 1.5 miles from each other. Interestingly, the International Date Line separates the two, so there is a time difference of 23 hours between the two.

[Thomas Jackson]

Alaska is in the foreground, Russia in the Background.

[Beet]

Heroic effort, ghostmonkey, but it doesn't change the absurdity of her answer.

[Thomas Jackson]

Heroic effort, ghostmonkey, but it doesn't change the absurdity of her answer.

Uh, the DUmmies and the Kos-Kiddies were claiming that it was impossible to see Russia from Alaska.

They failed geography.

And Palin's answer makes sense. Russia is an aggressive menace, that is less than 3 miles from the United States. Putin is a quasi-dictator who wants to return Russia to its heyday as the Soviet Union.

As Alaskan Governor, Palin is quite aware of the threat that an aggressive Russia would pose. If the Russians ever do decide to invade, Alaska is the first target.

Pointing out how close the nations actually are is quite important. It lays out to the American people that Russia isn't way over there in Europe.

Russian troops could be on American soil in minutes if Putin so desired.

[© Tweed the Younger]

ground invasion of the Bering Strait.  how very practical.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

ground invasion of the Bering Strait.  how very practical.

Mrs. Strangelove will ride the missiles in.

[Thomas Jackson]

ground invasion of the Bering Strait.  how very practical.

[© Tweed the Younger]

that's France, not Alaska.  close though.  now that I think of it sending hundreds of thousands of troops a thousand miles through the Yukon to reach the contigenous48 is a real possibility.  bravo Gov. Palin for preventing it.  if Knowles had won, who knows where we'd all be.  probably in some Russian POW camp living off illegally produced sausages or something.

[So the Heroes Fall]

Why are people now thinking a Russian invasion of the US or Europe is more likely now than during the Cold War?

[© Tweed the Younger]

Why are people now thinking a Russian invasion of the US or Europe is more likely now than during the Cold War?

we need something to be paranoid about or the whole system breaks down, BRTD.

[Nutmeg]

Russian troops could be on American soil in minutes if Putin so desired.

1) The U.S. would know more than "minutes" in advance - it's not like they're amassed on some ice floes in the Bering Strait awaiting orders to invade.

2) This still does not qualify Palin.  Would any governor of Alaska be qualified to be president as a result of the state's location?  Why is she any different from Frank Murkowski in terms of her experience in this regard?  What has Palin done to prepare the state to defend against the Russian invasion?

[Thomas Jackson]

that's France, not Alaska.  close though.  now that I think of it sending hundreds of thousands of troops a thousand miles through the Yukon to reach the contigenous48 is a real possibility.  bravo Gov. Palin for preventing it.  if Knowles had won, who knows where we'd all be.  probably in some Russian POW camp living off illegally produced sausages or something.

France is further from England than Russia is from Alaska.

Proximity has consequences.

[Thomas Jackson]

1) The U.S. would know more than "minutes" in advance - it's not like they're amassed on some ice floes in the Bering Strait awaiting orders to invade.

Hitler thought that way as well.

2) This still does not qualify Palin.  Would any governor of Alaska be qualified to be president as a result of the state's location?  Why is she any different from Frank Murkowski in terms of her experience in this regard?  What has Palin done to prepare the state to defend against the Russian invasion?

She was laying out that proximity has consequences.

[© Tweed the Younger]

that's France, not Alaska.  close though.  now that I think of it sending hundreds of thousands of troops a thousand miles through the Yukon to reach the contigenous48 is a real possibility.  bravo Gov. Palin for preventing it.  if Knowles had won, who knows where we'd all be.  probably in some Russian POW camp living off illegally produced sausages or something.

France is further from England than Russia is from Alaska.

Proximity has consequences.

Nutmeg made a good point....  I highly doubt any Russian troops are just sort of chillin in East Siberia ready to pounce on West Alaska.  it'd take weeks of preparation by the Russians to get the personnel in place in order to pull this off.  I'm not sure what they'd do once they got to W. Alaska, either, but perhaps you can answer that for me.