Palin Takes Hard Line On Russia

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Sarah Palin

ABC News has posted excerpts of Charlie Gibson's interview with GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. The interview is Palin's first since coming onto the national scene, and political watchers will be paying close attention to get a sense of Palin's grasp of the issues and her ability to handle potentially difficult questions.

Palin said during the interview that she favors Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO. Gibson pointed out that "Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion into the Caucasus," and asked Palin if the U.S. would have to go to war with Russia if that country invaded Georgia once Georgia became a member of NATO. Palin responded, "perhaps so."

"I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help," she said.

Added Palin:

What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a larger power is something for us to be vigilant against. We have got to be cognizant of what the consequences are if a larger power is able to take over smaller democratic countries.

And we have got to be vigilant. We have got to show the support, in this case, for Georgia. The support that we can show is economic sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads to.

It doesn't have to lead to war and it doesn't have to lead, as I said, to a Cold War, but economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, again, counting on our allies to help us do that in this mission of keeping our eye on Russia and Putin and some of his desire to control and to control much more than smaller democratic countries.

His mission, if it is to control energy supplies, also, coming from and through Russia, that's a dangerous position for our world to be in, if we were to allow that to happen.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by bets1211 September 13, 2008 6:37 PM EDT: So Obama has lifelong ties to a minister that hates the US and fosters racial divide (Wright), is friends with an avowed terrorist that participated in the bombing of the Pentagon (Ayers), and has ties to convicted felons (Rezko and Kilpatrick). Now there is someone I want to vote for.; Reply to this comment


by bets1211 September 13, 2008 6:33 PM EDT: not that it matters but dictionary.com...and although it occurs with some frequency among highly educated speakers, including scientists, professors, and government officials, it is disapproved of by many.; Reply to this comment


by edproserv September 12, 2008 4:30 PM EDT: She pronounces "nuclear" nu-ku-lar, just like W. It would be funny if this wasn''t the future of our country at stake. McCain-Palin: Too dumb to lead.; Reply to this comment


by edproserv September 12, 2008 4:29 PM EDT: She pronounces "nuclear" nu-ku-lar, just like W. It would be funny if this wasn''t the future of our country at stake. McCain-Palin: Too dumb to lead.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 September 12, 2008 4:17 PM EDT: Just only the fact of that the John McCain and Sarah Palin Presidential Campaign would conduct themselves in VOTER FRAUD tactics during this election campaign should be enough to dismiss their credibility and qualifications in seating them to the highest offices in our government.

The McCain-Palin Campaign has sent out (already done) bogus absentee ballots to other-than Republican Registered Voters in the anticipation that these false unofficial ballots will assist in clouding the respective (non-republican) voter%u2019s valid voting bid allowing the McCain Campaign to have questionable circumstance voting ballots to be declared invalid.

Republicans can%u2019t win on their record of policies, actions, and results they seem to be only able to rely on these types of actions to win elections.

Be smart Americans.

(8 years of the Clintons? who would want that? hmmm....); Reply to this comment


by palin081 September 12, 2008 4:08 PM EDT: Sarah Palin can handle anything that comes her way. She is a remarkable woman. You people are just jealous. Obama is just another 8 years of the Clintons and who wants that. McCain & Palin 2008!!!!!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by ok4obama September 12, 2008 3:51 PM EDT: Did anyone see Obama''s new ad titled "Real Change"? I thought it was great.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/
content/realchange_ad/; Reply to this comment


by ok4obama September 12, 2008 3:49 PM EDT: While some here may see her interview as confident and taking a stand for america, I wonder if any of you understand exactly what she means? I didn''t get it. I got the "no option is off the table", I got the "Georgia should be a part of NATO", but I didn''t get the WHY she thinks this or what the her vision of the global world is. Did anyone get that? Perhaps I was caught up in the stump lines and missed the substance.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 September 12, 2008 3:38 PM EDT: This election is all and nothing more then holding our government responsible to the American People. This was the vision of our founding fathers and they%u2019ve framed the Constitution to support it. Corruption, Greed, Imposed Religious Beliefs and self interpretational justifications of actions, War, and repeal of our basic Civil Rights are all issues that need to be examined and addressed at the voting booths.

Take charge Americans.; Reply to this comment


by jone775 September 12, 2008 3:23 PM EDT: I don''t care what the surface arguments are, those who know anything about the two presidential candidates know this election season is all about race. Racism lies at the center of even the smallest consideration of voting for another war mongering president and vice president. We have truly become Rome...; Reply to this comment