After Sarah Palin announced her now oft-repeated line that "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska," Gary Tuchman from CNN's news show Anderson Cooper 360° went to find this island. Here's his report:
The island is called Little Diomede. It looks like a rock plopped into the Bering Strait. Only about 150 Alaskans live on the whole island. And just about two miles away; in full view of every single house on the island is the nation of Russia. Specifically, it is the Russian Island of Big Diomede which sits about 25 miles from the Russian Siberian mainland (which you can also see from the American island.) [...]
We were curious what the Little Diomeders thought about Palin’s claim of foreign policy experience because of the proximity of Siberia. Interestingly, many of these Alaskans had no idea who Sarah Palin was! It turns out they have no TV on the island, and therefore, many don’t follow the news.
It's obvious that a conservative woman is a threat to the Democrat power base....how else can you explain the scrutiny? She's the VP, not the top of the ticket. Perhaps someday we'll hear about Senator Obama's connections with ACORN..perhaps. Especially since ACORN was slated to get a large chunk of that 'bailout' bill that didn't pass.
Also, ACORN is a welfare-type organization, a far cry from being part of the Keating Five. From Malkin's site, an extremely far-right blog,
'He cut his ideological teeth working with ACORN as a “community organizer” and legal representative. Naturally, ACORN’s political action committee has warmly endorsed his presidential candidacy. According to ACORN, Obama trained its Chicago members in leadership seminars; in turn, ACORN volunteers worked on his campaigns. Obama also sat on the boards of the Woods Fund and Joyce Foundation, both of which poured money into ACORN’s coffers.' Yeah, huge scandal! Huge payoff, he got volunteers!
So even if we're going to assume ACORN is a commie evil org, how much of that bailout is supposed to go to ACORN (Let's ignore that all those banks are Republican allies)? None: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4483168.shtml
Then why when I'm driving home tonight do I see a huge banner across someone's front porch that says "Sarah!" in huge letters with "McCain/Palin" in much smaller letters underneath?
The Republicans are clearly trying to market her as being as capable as McCain to be president so she's entitled to the same scrutiny he is.
And enough with this Palin's stupid stuff - you'd say the same about Bush, but guess what - he's still in office, not impeached, and in a few years, damn in a few months, everybody is going to forget about him.
He got away with it - and guess what, only the smartest criminals get away with their crimes... So calling Palin dumb isn't going to stop her from getting to the White House. It doesn't do anything else besides advertise her name to the people that don't know anything about politics but vote because they heard Palin's name enough to remember which button to push...
Then there's Obama's terrorist friend Bill Ayers, who helped launch his political career and worked with him on a failed education project that wasted over $100 million. But you won't hear about that while Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy is national news.
The Republicans' candidate for vice president has received more intense media scrutiny than the Democrats' candidate for President.
Considering the fact that McCain is treating her like an idiot, not letting people even talk to her and asking for shorter time limits on her one and only debate Thursday I don't think it's unfair that people are analyzing the very few words they've been given from her camp. She's the odd inexperienced duck in this race, it used to be Obama's lack of experience that plagued the scene, now there's no question about who the obvious target is. It's not unfair, it's smart and it's been done in every Presidential election.
Obama's only executive experience was on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which was regarded as a failure by its sponsors.
When McCain's VP has better qualifications than Obama himself, it reveals great weakness in the Democrat ticket.
lets now forget that Alaska was BOUGHT from the Russians in the first place!!!!!!!!!
It amazes me how American manages to ignore its history - just because most it is shameful and false - to keep people in the dark.
Because a lot of people don't think McCain will actually live 'til 2012, causing Palin to step up as our President.
Obama has been a Senator for how long? And Sarah Palin has been a governor for how long? Hmm... We better include her high status in the PTO to, just to make it fair! So who has had more experience?
You liberals need to stop it, it shows such bias. Palin is a good woman of the Lord and I trust she will guide mccain in the right direction. How can she possibly be scary? She isn't a Muslim after all.
If she'd shut up and accepted that she has no such experience, this would be a non-issue. We know now that she has cited "trade missions" between Russia and Alaska that may or may not have happened while she was in public office as foreign policy.
Are Republican troll commenters on this board simply so intellectually dishonest that they are incapable of accepting what appears before their very eyes?
When everybody thinks "duh!"
Anchorages sister city is Magadan, Siberia. There is a lot of trade between Alaska and Russia as well as several hundred "old russian" villages throughout Alaska. There are many companies based on Russian trade in Ak. Thousands of Russians call Alaska home for work or school. The fact that Alaska shares a Maritime border with Russia and shares it's other border with Canada means it is isolated from the rest of the U.S. between two other Nations. The governor of Alaska has inherent logistical relationships with Russia and Canada that no other governor has.
Does any of this mean she's ready to face off with Putin? Not really.. but it is worth something.
Mind you I value executive experience far beyond any foreign relations experience, she does have twelve years more experience there than Obama does.
Just a suggestion.
Anywho, I did find this one interesting. I'm fascinated by the tiny islands in the Bering Strait, and I've read about Little Diomede and it's bigger cousin. I wonder what it must have been like there in the middle of the Cold War, knowing that if anything happened the enemy would be right beside them.
Strange place.
The same thing can be said of people living in Texas next to the Mexican border. Diplomacy won't save their butt is Mexico decides to attack. (they have done if before)
CNN and NBC have been trying to did up anything and make is into a big deal. Why do they like attacking this woman so bad??
They didn't attack the Clintons over Whitewater, Vince Foster and Ron Brown's murders.
Hundreds of lawyers and reporters are crawling all over Alaska searching for anything. ( Obama sent 50 lawyers himself) Why are they so afraid of her???
Could it be that she connects with everyday people that Washington DC does not?
Could it be that everyone outside of the big cities understand what it is like having neighbors you know by name?
How about CNN and NBC, their ratings are so low that if "Ala-cart" style programming becomes available, they will go under.
Pancake man, Alex owns this blog; that's why he can post whatever he wants. The rest of us are guests here.
p.s. we should secede haha