Jon Stewart is fond of saying that "war is God's way of teaching Americans about geography." I am beginning to feel the same way about Sarah Palin's selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee. How many more times are we going to have to hear that Alaska is right next to Russia? I am still having trouble digesting the answers Palin gave last week to CBS's Katie Couric:
Couric: You’ve cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
Sarah Palin: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and, on our other side, the land-boundary that we have with Canada. It's funny that a comment like that was kinda made to I don't know, you know reporters.
Couric: Mocked?
Palin: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.
Couric: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign-policy credentials.
Palin: Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of. And there
Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.
Perhaps Palin fears that Putin will fly his Sukhoi-27 fighter jet to Wasilla instead of Grozny this time around? Any Russian votes there? Any Chechen votes there? Anyways, here's the replay of the interview's foreign policy section and Saturday Night Live's re-enactment of the whole fiasco starring Tina Fey as Palin.
