Critics of GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin site her lack of foreign policy experience as a critical weakness. Apparently, the McCain campaign has decided that the best way to defend against the charge is to claim that Palin actually does have foreign policy experience.
Specifically, the McCain campaign talking point suggests Palin, who got her first passport in 2006, has foreign policy experience because Alaska is America’s closest state to Russia. I am not making this up.
Defending Palin’s foreign policy credentials on ABC’s This Week, Cindy McCain told George Stephanopoulos to “remember, Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia.”
In an interview with Charlie Gibson, John McCain was asked about Palin’s foreign policy credentials. McCain declared: “[Palin] understands Alaska’s right next to Russia. She understands that.”
Of course, it is not officially a Republican talking point unless Fox News joins in. Fox anchor Steve Doochey declares: [Palin] does know about international relations because she is right up there in Alaska, right next to door to Russia.”
So there you have it: Sarah Palin has apparently gained foreign policy experience through osmosis due to Alaska’s proximity to Siberia. Believe it or not, Anchorage is a mere 4,341 miles from Moscow!
But why stop there? Stephen Colbert points out that “Alaska has Mount McKinley, which makes [Alaska] America’s closest point to space. So, that means [Palin] has space policy experience.”
