ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 5, 2008
Lieberman Helping Palin On Foreign Policy
Independent Senator Is Among Several National Security Experts Prepping Her Ahead Of VP Debate
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Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speaks during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Sarah Palin
Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.
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Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is among several national security experts helping brief Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on foreign policy issues as she prepares to hit the campaign trail while cramming for a debate with her Democratic opponent, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), in less than a month, according to officials from Sen. John McCain's campaign.
Lieberman, who was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee but is now an independent, has helped introduce Palin to officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobby. In a meeting Tuesday, the day before she delivered her prime-time address at the Republican National Convention here, Palin assured the group of her strong support for Israel, of her desire to see the United States move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and of her opposition to Iran's aspirations to become a nuclear power, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
The exchange offered a brief glimpse into the views of the one-term governor of Alaska, who has virtually no record on foreign policy and has not traveled extensively outside the United States. As governor, she made two foreign trips last summer, one of which was to Canada. On the second, sponsored by the Pentagon, she traveled to Kuwait and Germany -- and made a short stop at a "military outpost" in Iraq -- to visit members of the Alaska National Guard deployed there, according to Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella. Comella added that Palin may have visited Mexico on a personal trip.
Campaign officials and McCain foreign policy advisers called Palin a quick study who has sound judgment that will serve her in good stead on national security issues. But privately, some in the GOP foreign policy establishment voiced concern that McCain has turned to a relative neophyte on national security matters at a time when the United States is facing challenges ranging from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea.
"Her speech wowed the pro-family and anti-tax groups, but can she handle complex foreign and defense policy decision-making?" asked one leading conservative foreign policy thinker who is concerned. He spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to be publicly critical of the pick.
Democrats offered a more scathing assessment. "As much as Joe Lieberman might be trying to give her an information dump on what he knows, he can't infuse her with the expertise that she's sorely lacking," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) said in an interview, adding that vice presidents often serve as foreign emissaries during international crises. "The problem with her lack of foreign policy experience is she's running with a man who's 72 years old and, God forbid something happens to him, it's frightening because this is someone who would have the tiller of America's foreign policy."
Noting that the vice president sits on the National Security Council, Wasserman Schultz added: "What advice could Palin possibly offer McCain? There might as well be an empty seat at the table."
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has avoided attacks on Palin's credentials. "I think she's formidable. She has a great story. She has a great family," Biden said on NBC's "Today Show" on Thursday.
Campaign advisers and other surrogates sought to tamp down concerns about her experience. "Sarah Palin will be part of a team. John McCain is clearly the person with the foreign policy experience and record of accomplishment in Washington that will be paired with her experience as a reformer, as a governor, as an executive," former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors. "Together, they will be a very strong and compelling team. But let's not forget, he is the president and she is the vice president. And on the Democratic side, you have a nominee who is of so little experience in foreign affairs, domestic affairs, of any affairs, that I wonder how it happened."
The McCain campaign has tapped Stephen E. Biegun, the national security adviser to then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), to be Palin's principal foreign policy adviser. Campaign aides said Biegun, who is currently a vice president of Ford, is not serving as Palin's tutor but is merely briefing her on details of key issues in a way that is similar to what other candidates are receiving.
"The attempt is not to turn her into a professor of foreign policy but trying to get her up to speed on all the nuances of foreign policy issues that are hot and John's positions," said John Lehman, a former Navy secretary who is one of McCain's advisers. "She's surprised everybody at how current she is on Middle East issues. She doesn't pretend to be a foreign policy expert, but neither is she somebody who hasn't thought about the issues."
As a first-term governor, Palin has not delved into foreign policy in great detail, and she has made only passing references to the subject since her selection. On occasion, she has cast her focus on energy in the context of international affairs. As Alaska's governor, she has spent more time on oil and drilling issues.
"I am thankful for the foundation I have with energy to allow us to become dependent less and less on foreign energy sources -- those sources of course being controlled in some cases by very dangerous, volatile regimes," she said at a Republican Governors Association lunch Thursday. "This is all about energy independence and all about national security."
As an example of Palin's international credentials, the McCain campaign on Thursday provided a list of 15 foreign trade representatives she has met with as governor, including officials from China, Thailand, Norway and Seychelles.
Palin has spoken about Iraq in terms of both policy and her personal connection to the war. During her acceptance speech Wednesday night, she mentioned that not only is her 19-year-old son, Track, headed to Iraq next week with his Army infantry unit, her nephew Kasey is now serving on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
"I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way," she told the conventin crowd. But she also mocked Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in her speech for his policy on the war, saying he would undermine the gains the United States has made in the Middle East.
"Victory in Iraq is finally in sight; he wants to forfeit," she said. "Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay; he wants to meet them without preconditions."
As recently as March 2007, however, Palin indicated that she was not immersed in the details of America's war effort. In an interview with Alaska Business Monthly, she said: "I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president . . . I want to know that we have an exit plan in place."
One of Palin's few meetings this week with outside groups was with AIPAC, a sign of how politically important it is for the GOP ticket to demonstrate its support of Israel. "We had a good, productive discussion on the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and we were pleased that Governor Palin expressed her deep, personal commitment to the safety and well-being of Israel," AIPAC spokesman Josh Block said. "She also expressed her support for the special friendship between the two democracies and said she would work to strengthen the ties between the United States and Israel."
By Michael Abramowitz and Juliet Eilperin
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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See all 311 Commentsfor everyting you do, jew must alvays do dat vich vill benevit da Chews!
Az longk az it benevits da Chews, it vill be gut for America!!!''
Yeah! and IF THAT WOMAN ISNT, chances are that your wife is!
1) Protect Israel at all costs to America!
2) See #1
3) See #2
Blah, blah, blah, ad infinitum!!
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Well that qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the presidency right there...she''s traveled.
But for the first time in my life, I am voting Republican. I was disgusted by the way Democrats and the media treated Hillary just because she was a woman. And now they are doing it to Palin.
What the sexist media and the Democrats dont seem to understand is that every time they make sexist remarks and question Palin just because she is a woman, another feminist like me crosses over to her side.
1)Governor, here is Alaska, and across the strait is the Soviet...er..Russia.
2)To the south is China, kind of like Russia with lipstick.
3)To the east of Alaska is Canada, and did I mention they like hockey too.
4)And finally, Governor, to the south is the United States. You remember, the country you advocated secession from, when you volunteered with the Alaska Independence party a few years ago, and which your husband Todd was deeply involved....
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Wow....she''s also MET people...FOREIGN people at that! I take it all back, she really IS qualified!
And that in itself is troubling, but it''s not what bothers me the most!
I believe her to be like Bush, closed-minded and intellectually disinterested!
By this, I mean to say, I don''t think she has the mental capacity to learn, to learn from her mistakes, and consequently to be an effective VP or president should that occur.
This is compounded by the fact that she seems to be dishonest in her dealings in public office and an inclination to be so!
I think McCain should simply say, I''ve decided to go with a BETTER CHOICE! And, redeem himself while he still has time, soon it will be too late!
How many hours a day does she spend on governing Alaska after she promised to be a full time Governor and serve a full term?
Sarah Palin cant set Policy in her own house hold, her UNDERAGE daughter is knocked up.
What makes you think that McPalin can handle the White House.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha that a joke.
WHY THE FRACK did the US TAX PAYERS pay for this Frackin swimming pool when IRAQ has 97 billion sitting in US BANKS.
I would like a Republican to answer that Question !
Just another Republican HAND OUT to IRAQ and the People of IRAQ so the frackin children can swim.
At the Republican convention last night there were NO BLACK PEOPLE THERE, Fyi Republicans, RICH White People with Tans dont count as Black People, there called African Americans and there were NO African Americans in the audience last night, maybe 10 and the Republicans sure kept the camara on them for an extended amount of time. It was the same Black People Over and Over and Over again they kept showing nice try to hood wink the American Public again and VERY LAME try to show diversity !
Good OLD, Abe Lincoln was there last night with his top hat I am sure all you Gun Luvin, Right Wing, Fat Chubby Pizza Eatin Republicans got a chuckle out of GOOD OLDE Abe Lincoln being in the audience.
LOOK BILLY BOB Youins see that THERE IS, ABE LINCOLN standing there in the Audience and he has his top hat.
What the sexist media and the Democrats dont seem to understand is that every time they make sexist remarks and question Palin just because she is a woman, another feminist like me crosses over to her side.
Posted by FemiNazi1
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If you are actually going to vote for this ticket because McCain picked a woman then you were really never a Hillary supporter in the first place.
But for the first time in my life, I am voting Republican. I was disgusted by the way Democrats and the media treated Hillary just because she was a woman. And now they are doing it to Palin.
What the sexist media and the Democrats dont seem to understand is that every time they make sexist remarks and question Palin just because she is a woman, another feminist like me crosses over to her side.
Posted by gocubs woman hater
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Hey sexist woman hater - dont belittle my intelligence by saying I am supporting the Republican ticket just because McCain picked a woman.
I am supporting the Republican ticket because the media and the Democrats did nothing but bash Hillary the whole time. They were totally sexist against her, and now they are doing the same thing to Palin.
I am supporting Palin in this race, not because I agree with her on all the issues, but because I am making a statement that sexism will not be tolerated - even when it is against conservative women.
Besides this being the most ohony post ever:
After McCains affirmative action hire and promoting an unqualified person which put politics first and country last, every time men read a post like that they flock to Obama.
I don''t think McCain considered the Male Backlash against affirmative action.
Posted by FemiNazi
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I''ve been saying all along that women, even liberal women like FemiNazi, would flock to Palin once they realized how sexist the media has been against her.
Guess I was right.
Now Obama has no chance.
This is really strange! Why wouldn''t a senior Republican be instructing her?!
It seems to me to be an admission by the McCain election team that Congressional Republicans are INCOMPETENT! Or, they are too insulted by her selection that they refuse to help instruct her!
OR, it could be that if she screws up in the future, they don''t want it trailing back to them as the person who instrcted her in foreign affairs!
Take your pick, none of these represent
a constructive situation! And represent definite reasons why McCain/Palin should NOT be elected!
After Joe teaches her the map do you think he will have time to work on the alphabet too?
This is really strange! Why wouldn''''t a senior Republican be instructing her?!
Posted by stn_sage at 02:03 PM
There still out looking for the Iraq-Pakistan border and trying to figure out what happened to Czechoslovakia,
Guess I was right.
Posted by bobmarisol
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Bob - you have no idea how many of us are ''flocking'' to Palin. I am part of a feminist group in PA - a major swing state in this election - and so far, over 13,000 people in the group have signed a pledge to vote for Palin unless the media stops being so sexist.
So aren''t you kind of shooting yourself in the foot by backing this backwoods bornagain?
This is really strange! Why wouldn''''''''t a senior Republican be instructing her?!
Posted by stn_sage at 02:03 PM
Because they are still learning to differentiate Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Extremists and Al Qaeda themselves, maybe.
Posted by FemiNazi1 at 01:53 PM : Sep 05, 2008
Nah, you know you won''t - you''re just being a tease... typical woman. LOL
______________________________________
Easy, just tell her to say: Bomb bomb bomb Iran.
Joe loves it when a Mossad plan comes together.
:(
Great...is he going to tell her to give Israel everything...all our money, support and weapons?
I''''m sure she be putting Israel before America before long if not already...
Posted by jh6379 at 02:16 PM
After Alaska and Before America to be exact.
Posted by abubaker2 at 02:17 PM
Isn''t it the Republican position that all affairs must be fully investigated by the MSM? Just like the investigations of of an unnamed North Carolina ex-Senator.
Bull! What''''s the name of your "group" that signed up 13K in 3 days? It is sad, though, that you are willing to replay 4 more years of Bush. I guess you are a one-note Va-Gina First organization that is willing to sell your sisters down the river beacsue you feel insulted.
Posted by womanhater
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Hey A-S-S hole, you are the reason us feminists are turning to Palin. I dont like her policies any more than you do. But lately it seems like all the true women-haters are on the Democratic side. That is what is ''sad.'' We Democrats are supposed to be the party of tolerance, yet all I hear lately is hatred for Palin just because she is a woman. That is why I am voting for Palin.
My group is ''FFW'' - stands for ''Feminists for the Future of Women''. We have 13,000 who have pledged to vote Palin unless the Democrats get their act together and stop bashing her just because of her gender. If they stop being sexist, we won''t feel the need to vote Palin. But if things dont change real soon, you can say hello to a McCain/Palin administration.
Palin needs as much help as she can get and that a fact!
i got more foreign policy than her--- the b!tch needs to stop the telling lies!
Could you conservatives help us outsiders out a little and identify when you mean Lincoln-Roosevelt-Eisenhower conservatives and Bush conservatives -- we get confused sometimes. I liked some of the policies of those older conservatives but I don''t like the newer ones so much.
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