8 thoughts on “And I Can See Russia From My House!”

  1. Awesome question from Katie:
    “explain to me why that enhances your foregin policy credentials”
    How awesome would it be to hear McCain say living near to Mexico he has foreign policy experience. Or even better Mayor Mike saying it because NY borders Canada.
    Great clip and so scary that someone thought there was a light on there. What’s the ETA on putting Rudy into place for this ceremonial whipping woman?

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  2. New York is the capital of the world in so many senses that it would be a mistake for Bloomberg not to point that out as a foreign policy credential. The UN is there, for heaven’s sake. Likewise, the Southwest shades pretty quickly into Latin America. Arizona is 29% Hispanic. I’m in Texas, so I’ll pick the first two cities that come to mind. San Antonio is 59% Hispanic and El Paso is 87% Hispanic. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, we think a lot about the Pacific Rim–Russia, China, Korea, Japan, etc. What with fishermen of many nationalities jostling to harvest the hapless (but extremely valuable) salmon of the northern Pacific, an Alaskan or a Washington governor would sooner or later find themselves embroiled in international disputes. I haven’t heard that Palin was involved in any such, but it was just a matter of time. Back in 1997, there was an incident with 100 angry Canadian fishermen blockading an Alaskan ferry for three days, in the belief that Canadian sockeye were being caught by Alaskan fishermen. Palin probably hasn’t been the governor of Alaska long enough to have much international experience, but it is not automatically laughable to argue that coastal and border state governors and mayors have the opportunity to experience international relations in the raw.

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  3. This may be regarded as a stretch, but because of the legalities surrounding Indian reservations, almost any dispute involving Native Americans is in effect an international dispute. That’s why we have “treaties” with Native American tribes–they are quasi-independent nations, hence their immunity from state law on casinos, fireworks, whaling, etc.

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  4. But, Amy, those types of answers are particularly the opportunity Katie was giving Palin. She didn’t dismiss the idea that Alaska’s proximity to Russia would give her foreign policy experience. She asked her how it did. What was laughable in Palin’s answer was not the idea that proximity might provide opportunity for experience, but that it apparently hadn’t (at least in any concrete way that Palin could cite). And, in spite of this, Palin was arguing that mere proximity was sufficient.

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  5. bj,
    I was commenting on what Kip said, rather than on Palin’s comments. Kip seemed to be denying the value of border state experience. I should add that I think it counts a lot more for a governor or a mayor who has to cope with the repercussions on a day-to-day basis rather than for a member of Congress.

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  6. Palin is not, for me, a plus for the Reep ticket. I think she has gotten sucked into thinking she has to swot the whole knowledge body of the Council on Foreign Relations to deal with the sharks now circling, and she would have done lots better to say what she didn’t know, that if she had to take over for McCain she would have a lot of smart people to help her and by the way, about being Governor…
    The inability of our coastal elites to contain their disdain for someone who didn’t follow their path is pretty unseemly, and will fester for a good long while, no matter who wins.
    And by the way, just because it is so much fun: http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2008/09/how_hard_is_it_to_put_a_lipsti.php

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  7. I get that Palin isn’t that knowledgeable about stuff, and I don’t really think anyone believed she was. However, what she does have to be is a quick study and SHE IS NOT. That’s what’s bugging people now about the Couric interview. She’s showing herself to be the kind of student who faked her way through 5 colleges to get a degree. She can’t learn very well.

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  8. “She can’t learn very well.”
    This is my elite bias. I think I know what it means, and it scares me to death when people in power give me the impression that they can’t learn. Bush raises this fear in spades. And, it’s really not about going to the right colleges. Yes, I’m familiar with how a Harvard law graduate is smart, i.e. can learn well, in a way I’m not about a farmer from Nebraska, or a fisherman from Alaska. But, I’ve met farm girls from Nebraska and fisherman from Nebraska who have no problem learning. Palin’s current performance (especially the Couric interview, where she was given opportunities to show what she’s learned) scares me a lot.

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