Palin Contradicts McCain On Pakistan, Seems To Back Obama's Position

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Sarah Palin

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(PHILADELPHIA) Sarah Palin told a customer at a Philadelphia restaurant on Saturday that the United States should "absolutely" launch cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan in the event that it becomes necessary to "stop the terrorists from coming any further in," a comment similar to the one John McCain condemned Barack Obama for making during last night's presidential debate.

During Friday's debate, Obama criticized the Bush administration for sending billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan without ridding the border region of terrorists.

"If the United States has al Qaeda, bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out," Obama added.

McCain fired back hard, arguing that newly elected Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari has had his "hands full" and suggesting that Obama's tough talk was na?ve.

"You don't say that out loud," McCain said. "If you have to do things, you have to do things, and you work with the Pakistani government."

Palin's apparent disagreement with McCain's position on Pakistan came as the Alaska governor was picking up a couple of cheesesteaks at Tony Luke's in South Philadelphia. She was approached by a man wearing a Temple University t-shirt, who later identified himself as Michael Rovito.

"How about the Pakistan situation?" Rovito asked. "What's your thoughts about that."

"In Pakistan?" Palin responded.

"What's going on over there, like Waziristian?"

"It's working with Zardari to make sure that we're all working together to stop the guys from coming in over the border," Palin said. "And we'll go from there."

"Waziristan is blowing up," Rovito replied.

"Yeah, it is," Palin said. "And the economy there is blowing up, too."

"So we do cross-border, like from Afghanistan to Pakistan, you think?" Rovito asked.

"If that's what we have to do stop the terrorists from coming any further in, absolutely, we should," Palin said.

In her first national television interview after becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin was pressed by ABC's Charlie Gibson on whether the U.S. should launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan. She said that the United States "must do whatever it takes" to thwart Islamic extremists and said, "America has to exercise all options in order to stop the terrorists who are hell bent on destroying America and our allies."

But Palin did not, at that time, explicitly express her support for cross-border attacks, as she did at the Philadelphia restaurant on Saturday.

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by Taloowah May 2, 2011 1:29 PM EDT: Three deaths to commemorate on May 1

Hitler
Osama Bin Laden
Sarah Palin's Career; Reply to this comment


by beej138 September 30, 2008 8:18 AM EDT: Additionally, I''d suggest an unbiased primer on the false claims that continue to make the internet rounds:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html

And, no, she didn''t publicly support or sign into law any measure requiring alleged rape victims to pay for their own rape investigation kits as mayor of Wasilla. Completely false.

Seriously, is a moose-hunting, God-fearing, pro-life, conservative female from Alaska so threatening to people''s beliefs that they feel the need to concoct these absurd accusations about Sarah Palin in order to diminish her accomplishments?

Some people need to get a grip.; Reply to this comment


by singlasalil8 September 29, 2008 2:47 PM EDT: Is this her view or inexperience of handling talks instantly.She has a responsibility and should understand and respond judiciously.People know her past and where she comes from and will try to exploit the current situation in every possible manner

Those of you who really want in-depth information about Palin,
i would suggest a site
http://dailysource.org/palin

It has in-depth research, audio clips, videos, excerpts and links to hundreds of articles, including many from papers and TV stations in Alaska. It has rare footage, including her telling the 2008 convention of the Alaska Independence Party, whose goal is to give Alaska a vote on seceding from the U.S. to %u201Ckeep up the good work.%u201D
Please spread the word about this Palin info to anyone who might want to know more.; Reply to this comment


by beej138 September 29, 2008 8:17 AM EDT: Back to the topic at hand...

The media libs have been trying to make that connection all day -- that what Palin said is the same as what Obama said -- in order to make it appear as though Palin was somehow contradicting McCain.

It''s absolute garbage. The two positions are clearly different.

Obama''s idea is to rely to locate "high-level targets" within Pakistan and launch unprovoked military attacks against another sovereign nation (and an important ally in the war against Islamic Fundamentalism) without the permission or cooperation of the Pakistani government.

Palin''s position is the same as McCain''s: work with the Zadari government to defend the integrity of the Afghan/Pakistan border from further incursions by al Qaeda or other terrorists. If defending the border means that U.S. forces engage in cross-border conflicts with terrorists, so be it...but Zadari will not be left in the dark on those plans.

Obama''s position is reckless and naive. That''s the kind of idiocy and incompetence I''d expect from a chicken hawk like Paul Wolfowitz.

He''s not ready to lead ducks to water...let alone, assume the role of commander-in-chief.; Reply to this comment


by beej138 September 29, 2008 8:11 AM EDT: It doesn''t take any special education, leadership or courage to be a dangerously naive follower and appeaser like Barack Obama.

His degrees don''t make him a better commander-in-chief, economist, decision-maker or leader.

They make him a good candidate to be president of a university and earn a lofty salary doing nothing of importance to the real world.

FYI...in response to the general smugness regarding class rank, two points: 1) the degree is the same whether you graduate first or last in your class; 2) the Naval Academy institutes a demerit system for undesirable personal conduct. Admittedly, John McCain accrued one of the highest demerit totals in his graduating class...ultimately affecting his class rank.; Reply to this comment


by beej138 September 29, 2008 7:51 AM EDT: Pfft...

Only a liberal elitist or an absolute cluck (redundant?) would view "ability" in terms of educational opportunities.

Here''s a news flash: "doing it" trumps "reading about it" every time.

Barack Obama has no record of achievement suggesting he''d be able to handle anything on the list.

Quite the opposite, he''s got a record of being a rubber stamp for his party''s leadership at each level of government.

Anyone can talk a good game. It takes courage, leadership, practical knowledge and a willingness to go against one''s own party and work with others to actually deliver.

Barack Obama has none of the above.

To answer the question, however, I would never hire an unaccomplished former cocaine user who says one thing and does another, nor a draft-dodging plagiarist who has made a career out of gaming the system and being on the wrong side of American foreign policy.

I would, however, hire the person who has a long record of leadership, reform, personal sacrifice and battle-tested acumen...a person who walks the walk...a person who has the courage to stand on principle even when it puts him at odds with his party...a person who cosponsored legislation (S. 190) in 2005 to address the fraudulent practices and economic turmoil facing the financial market today...a person who had the wisdom to call for more troops and a new strategy in Iraq in 2004 when his party was singing a different tune.; Reply to this comment


by jmmalone2 September 28, 2008 11:58 PM EDT: If You were The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts,
stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high
prison population, skyrocketing Federal spending, mortgage
crises, bank foreclosures, etc. etc., this is an unusually
critical election year.

Let''s look at the educational background of the
candidates and see what they bring to the job:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a
specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna *** Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in
political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 out of 899
(meaning that, like George Bush, McCain was at the bottom of
his class)

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire to lead the most
influential nation in the world? Obama of course.; Reply to this comment


by lynnalicat September 28, 2008 10:36 PM EDT: God help us when the young people are told that she didn''t say that.
We are supposed to be role models. You would think that the young could actually ask a question of a perspective V.P. candidate. McCain later corrected this I heard she now, goes along with his opinion on the issue. What was wrong with Barack''s opinion? Seems Sarah became flustered while she was buying her cheeseburger or was it cheese steak?; Reply to this comment


by cozzicon September 28, 2008 8:16 PM EDT: "A couple of die-hard Bush/Cheney Rethuglican friends of mine shocked me when McSame picked Caribou Barbie as his running mate.

These guys -- all of them, white, male, professionals in their 50s -- said they would not vote for McSame, just b/c of Palin -- and the fact that they''''re pretty sure SHE''''S gonna be the one finishing out McSame''''s term, not him.

Scary!"-- Posted by imprisonrove

I''m in a different situation. I''m senior management in a very old corporation. The officers are all in their 70''s/80''s. They think Palin is the best thing since sliced bread.

They can''t tell me why they think that. But the daily executive luncheon is a hash fest for right wing talking points.

I don''t mind it. It''s kind of entertaining.; Reply to this comment


by sdarroch September 28, 2008 9:38 AM EDT: Sometimes the truth is stranger than even a conspiracy theorist''s imaginings.

The post suggesting that "Michael Rovito'' is some sort of imposter piqued my interest, so I checked it out with a Google search.

A short trip to the Great Gazoogle turns up two completely separate individuals named "Michael Rovito", with different educational backgrounds, employment history, and residences. I''ll label them Michael Rovito A and Michael Rovito B;

Michael Rovito A is indeed a reporter for the "Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman."

Michael Rovito B is a researcher involved in "ethnic studies, minority health disparities, immigration, the use of GIS in public health applications." His bio is connected to "BITS -- Building Information Technology Skills Among North Philadelphia Youth." Michael Rovito B is apparently a resident of Philadelphia, PA.

Below are the websites I accessed.

Michael Rovito A
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/8/231/b1b

Michael Rovito B
http://bitsconversationsbios.blogspot.com/2006/04/michael-rovito.html

sdarroch; Reply to this comment