He Can't See Russia at All

Searching for Foreign Policy

In the presidential campaign for 2008, we were warned of the danger Sarah Palin posed as a potential vice president. She was painted as a lightweight with no experience who couldn't be trusted one heartbeat away from leader of the free world. The media went so far as to ridicule her, with Katie Couric asking inane questions in an interview, much of which was left on the cutting room floor.

Tina Fey did such a good job - right down to the stunning resemblance - that the phrase, "I can see Russia from my house!"  is generally attributed to Sarah Palin, even though she never said such a thing. It was misconstrued from her answer to a question in another interview with Charles Gibson, who never even attempted to conceal his utter disdain for the woman.

In September of 2008, I wrote about why Sarah Palin was a credible candidate with enough foreign policy experience to handle the job. I quoted from an article that speculated that she may have been more qualified than Joe Biden at the time, based on her tenure as Governor of Alaska and its proximity to Russia, and as Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard. I never had any doubt that she was more qualified than Obama, yet a fawning press convinced far too many that I was wrong.

Combined with the aid of an adoring media, Obama brought a slick campaign style and shiny veneer to the battle, wowing crowds who were already receptive to him simply because they thought it was time for a Black president. None of the substance ever mattered in the campaign, and the result was what we see now. And the veneer is proving very thin and vulnerable to corrosion.

The fact of our economic anemia, high unemployment rates, and out-of-control debts and deficits aside, we are starting to see the absolute ineptitude of this man in the arena of foreign policy. Some wonder privately - and others are beginning to do so publicly - whether Obama is actually engaged in the happenings around the globe. I simply maintain that he is completely out of his league.



Libyans Under Seige

As the people of Libya fight their dictatorial leader for freedom, Barack Obama picks his March Madness NCAA brackets on TV, and plays golf on the weekends. As Japan struggles with the horrendous aftermath of an earthquake, a resultant tsunami and several nuclear reactors on the precipice of meltdown, Obama is planning to jet off to Rio, where he will give some meaningless speech about something while his family enjoys the sights.

And it's getting harder for his allies in the media to cover for him. As Joshua Hersh adroitly points out in an article in The Daily, even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her last nerve with this administration, announcing near the end of her Libya mission that she will not return even if Obama wins a second term. In dealings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Clinton's exasperation was clearly evident, repeatedly and cryptically responding to Sarkozy's urging more action from the White House, "There are difficulties".

Hillary's passion for pressure on Gaddafhi was obviously one of those "difficulties", in that Obama never took them very seriously. In fact, at the Gridiron Club Dinner last week, Obama joked that His Secretary of State's passion made it difficult for him to sleep "for the past few weeks", quipping that she was "out there on Pennsylvania Avenue shouting, throwing rocks at the window".

North Korea defiantly fired ballistic missiles toward our shores, Iran thumbs its nose at our insistence  that they cease attempts to acquire nuclear weapons, leaders of strong allied countries are embarrassed and rebuked by this administration, and China treats us like their little brother. Meanwhile, the saplings of liberty struggle to break the surface of the soil in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, and now Iran, while President Obama dances at the White House.

Yet the same media who fretted over the unlikely prospect of a President Palin seem to not even notice that we currently have an actual President who not only can't see Russia, but probably doesn't even know in which direction to look for it. Nor does he care.

Sphere: Related Content

What Does Sarah Have Up Her Sleeve?

CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE II EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Section 8. Powers of Governor as commander-in-chief of land and naval forces of State.
The Governor shall be the Commander in Chief of the land and naval forces of the State; and may call out the militia to repel invasions, suppress insurrections, and enforce the execution of the Laws; but shall not take the command in person, without the consent of the Legislature.

How much foreign policy experience does Sarah Palin really have? Aside from cute Tina Fey jokes - "I can see Russia from my house!" - how much does Alaska's proximity to Russia and her being Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard matter? While we all sleep snug in our beds at night, probably more than you'd care to know.


Fort Greely in Alaska has eleven ground-based interceptor missiles buried in underground silos that represent a key part of a multi-layered defense system designed to protect the United States from a ballistic missile attack. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It's on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units. Governor Sarah Palin is the Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard.

According to a website called Blackfive, Palin may be better qualified than Biden in matters of foreign policy:

As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's.

She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.

Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.

Don't let that cute face fool you. It just may well be that Palin and the McCain Campaign have a devastating sandbag prepared for the vice presidential debates. One other point worth noting, also from the Blackfive site; According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.

We'll have to wait until Thursday to see how many she can use in the debate.

Sphere: Related Content