Aug. 31, 2008

Palin’s Instincts

National Review: Don’t Discount Palin’s Foreign-Policy Credentials

  • Play CBS Video Video Comparing V.P. Choices

    Dean Reynolds compares and contrasts the campaign benefits of Barack Obama and John McCain's vice presidential running mate choices of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, respectively.

  • Video McCain, Palin Begin Campaign

    Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have officially started their campaign together for this year's presidential election. Chip Reid reports on voters' response to this selection.

  • Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, left, smiles after introducing his Vice Presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in Dayton, Ohio., Friday, Aug. 29, 2008.

    Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, left, smiles after introducing his Vice Presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in Dayton, Ohio., Friday, Aug. 29, 2008.  (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

  • Photo Essay Sarah Palin

    Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Tom Gross.
Critics are already trying to damn Sarah Palin for her perceived lack of foreign-policy experience, but what they are not allowing for is something more important - that she has the right basic attitudes and sense of priorities. She understands that aggression has to be resisted and commitments have to be honored.

Certainly there is every sign that she will be better for at least one of America’s closest friends and allies, Israel, than Joe Biden.

It is true that Biden talks of his support for Israel in principle, but the reality is that he has done his utmost to thwart keeping the possibility of a military option open to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. As a result he was even praised recently on the Iranian regime’s official propaganda arm, Press TV.

It is no accident that Biden was dubbed “Tehran’s favorite senator” in an article in the Washington Post last week.

By contrast, the very first reference to foreign policy that Palin made in her acceptance speech after being chosen as John McCain’s vice-presidential candidate Friday was that Iran must be stopped from getting nuclear weapons. She mentioned this even before she mentioned the issues of Iraq and Russia.

Palin has a record for integrity and for getting the job done matched by very few politicians, as shown by her success in tackling the corrupt Republican-party establishment in Alaska, and her highly effective economic program there.

The U.S. and Israel can have every confidence that, like McCain, she is a doer who means what she says - not someone like Joe Biden who may come out with fine sentiments but seems unwilling to get to grips with fundamental problems posed by Iran and Syria.

Tom Gross is a former Mideast correspondent for London’s Sunday Telegraph.



By Tom Gross
Reprinted with permission from National Review Online.



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Add a Comment See all 15 Comments
by noloyalisti September 2, 2008 4:38 PM EDT
That this person could be our pResident is a nightmare for educated freedom loving Americans. She is supposed to be pro-life but endangers her own family''s lives. She is with McSame who wants endless war and killing and with the GOP who has caused the death and suffering of so many Americans, Afghanis and Iraqis. God forgive America!
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by aj4321-2009 September 1, 2008 9:51 PM EDT
People are not looking at the correct issue here - it''''s not that her 17-year old kid is pregnant. The issues are

1. Sarah Palin is believes in abstinence-only *** education. Did she endanger her child''''s life by not teaching her about contraception?

2. She traveled to give a speech when she was having her kid (against the opinion of her doctor), who now is sick. Did she endanger the life of her baby?

3. Not to mention, the incompetence of McCain. Why did he choose someone who is clearly not capable of handling the pressures of a national campaign.
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by lordmi September 1, 2008 11:47 AM EDT
Monster-Mom - pick for Idiots.
Congrats, GOP:
Truth about MonsterMom:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-elisberg/the-worst-vice-presidenti_b_122491.html
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by twixcon September 1, 2008 7:48 AM EDT
Those suicides weren''t given more than they could bear, jmurrieta. They made the rational choice that suicide was preferrable to life under the tyranny of Obama.

They were wrong in their assumption that Obama''s intended socialist agenda was inevitable. McCain and Palin are in fact the proof that God gave them a very bearable situation by bringing along these two Obama busters.

The democrat party as already stated clearly with its rejection of Hillary that it is not the party of opportunity for women. It is no surprise that they consider Palin to be unfit just as they clearly considered Hillary to be unfit.

The situation IS bearable, jmurrieta. Don''t off yourself.
Reply to this comment
by alohaone1 September 1, 2008 4:50 AM EDT
All who compare Obama to Sarah Palin are forgetting that Obama wants to be the Pres. , Mrs. Palin will only be the VP . These are not same offices . ONe needs a person to perform difficult tasks from day one , one can allow for a little learning room. And by the way , Palin does have more governing experiences than Obama . And remember , when that RED phone rings at 3 am, they will wake up the President of the US first , NOT his VP . So , all you nuts should be able to tell the differences between the office of the Pres and the office of the VICE Pres. now!
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by alohaone1 September 1, 2008 4:45 AM EDT
to be honest , I think this lady got the only quality that we voters should care about and that is working for the people who elected her , period . I don''t care how smart or experient a guy is , if he is just into lining his own pocket after an election , he is out of there , if he does not have the gut to stand up to corruptions , he is no use to us voters . Experiences of all kinds can be learned , integrity can not . Courage to do what is right and standing up to the power that be is more than enough for us to vote her into office , why , because she will actually work for us and NOT think that we are fools by lining up her pocket !
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by stopkidding September 1, 2008 3:26 AM EDT
So, the ''thin resume'' argument you guys were making about Obama three days ago has morphed into a fat instincts argument for Palin. Well, no one is accusing conservatives of integrity these days.
Reply to this comment
by August 31, 2008 9:37 PM EDT
"It is no accident that Biden was dubbed ''Tehran%u2019s favorite senator''

Extreme dictators have known for years that they could influence American elections and policy with just words...remember how "the mother of all wars" and other colorful phrases helped Bush get support for the Iraq war.
Reply to this comment
by August 31, 2008 9:25 PM EDT
Clearly, ignorance of foreign affairs, is a qualification to hold high office according to the NRO and to the Taliban. Only in this world is Sarah Palin''s values shown as "PTA member and point-guard at her highschool" (that McCain felt it necessary to mention when introducing her), equivalent to Biden''s years as head of head of the Foreign Affairs committee.
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by imnho August 31, 2008 9:14 PM EDT
I think if she sticks with intellgent design people will have questions concerning her headquaters be located where her hindquaters belong.
Reply to this comment
by dashortround August 31, 2008 9:13 PM EDT

Paris Hilton would have actually made a far better VP pick than Sarah Palin!

Palin really is no more than an obscure hockey mom with zero political experience -- and McCain, who is very old and visibly frail, has been treated for cancer how many times already? Four or five times?

Sorry, but I don''t want to see John McCain passing the nuclear football to a totally inexperienced cheerleader.

Go home and bake some cookies, Sarah - and take Gramps McCain with you.
Reply to this comment
by jmurrieta1 August 31, 2008 8:18 PM EDT
"the lord will give you no more than you can bare and if he put you in it he will get you through it..."--Posted by dudeky


What utter drivel. Explain over 30,000 suicides every year in the USA. They couldn''t bear it.

Guess their guardian angels must have been off on coffee breaks.
Reply to this comment
by jmurrieta1 August 31, 2008 8:16 PM EDT
Oh yeah, my dog has good gut feelings about people--he never said he trusted Putin--but I don''t think he''s ready to be president yet. Maybe after he''s paper-trained.
Reply to this comment
by dudeky August 31, 2008 6:06 PM EDT
sarah will also want the usa to be a safe place for her children...and for her son with problems i am sure she will be there for him or have someone to be...i see no problem with that as a draw-back on her part......life goes on and so will her son.... the lord will give you no more than you can bare and if he put you in it he will get you through it...hang in there sarah.......
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by dudeky August 31, 2008 6:02 PM EDT
like i said with hillary i think sarah will make an ok vice it all goes along with being a mother who better to get the usa straight???????does your mother not help and keep you on the narrow path???
go get''em sarah.....................and like it was said earlier today on a show....she can learn as she goes look how long bush was in and he did us no good .....so give her a try we can not get out of this mess in 4 years of obama anyway....and we do not need michelle in there anyhow.............
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