Palin: US Military Needs To Go On "Offense"

FROM 'EYES OF OBAMA' BLOG

Posted By jwilkes - Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 4:26 PM

Continuing her media blitz of late, Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice
Presidential nominee Sarah Palin stopped by Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room.
Ostensibly, Palin doesn't really need a reason to be doing interviews at this point,
despite being nothing more than one of 50 governors with no particularly newsworthy
distinction (ironically, she's become every bit the "celebrity" she derided Obama
for being). But with every interview she gives, its difficult to overlook the air of
self-promotion, the feel of a candidate-in-waiting.

That's why it was a little surprising... strike that, it wasn't surprising. That's
why it was interesting to hear "Sarah Barracuda" make this blunder:

"We need to do everything we can with our military to show that we're strong on
offense."

Call it a misstatement if you want, but President Obama would have been put through
the ringer for it.

Our military doesn't go on "offense." it defends our borders and those of our
allies. "Offense" means provoking or starting an all-out military assault. What's
worse is when the comment is taken in context: Palin and Blitzer were discussing
what the US's response should be to North Korea's recent test launches of long-range
missiles.

I'd stop short of saying Palin would advocate a preemptive strike on North Korea.
But if her comment serves one purpose, it's to underscore her frightening lack of
foreign policy experience, or even- for that matter- foreign policy perspective. And
it also signifies what Palin-diplomacy might look like: the same sort of
first-strike doctrine that got us mired in Iraq (because Bush officials argued that
Iraq posed an immediate threat to the US and it's allies).

There's a time for military action- when diplomatic channels have failed. That's why
presidents from Kennedy to Reagan never jumped the gun- because if, at any point
during the Cold War- either side had gone on "offense," this world would be an
awfully different place.

And this woman wants to be president?

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Vice Presidental Canditates - Sara Palin and Joe Biden

Lets start with Governor Palin. Yes, she is a successful Governor for the State of Alaska, but I'm still at a loss as to why Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain truly believes that she has more experience than Barak Obama or for that matter Joe Biden?


Here are Governor Palin's credentials....

First she was a part-time mayor of a city of roughly 5500 people before becoming governor of Alaska. She has been governor for 18 months and that does not strike me as a seasoned veteran, either. So why is she truly on John McCain's ticket? What other credentials does she really have? Personally I think that it was just John McCain's gut decision to have her on his ticket and she did exactly what she was supposed to do at this point in the race, and that was to stir up waves to get everyone's focus off of John McCain's policies, which are the continued failed policies of George Bush. And how ironic, John McCain is trying to push that his candidacy is about 'CHANGE". What is he trying to change. Everything he is now saying he wants to do completely embarrasses President Bush. He can't possibly win unless he goes against the failed policies of his own political party, the Republican party. He can only possibly win if he portrays himself a maverick and go against George Bush's policies. I wonder if anyone can remember when John McCain ran against George Bush and lost. Now, they are friends. Can Bush really help him or hurt him in this election? Just too too many questions.....
And who knows, maybe Sarah Palin could fill the bill as President if the 72-year old maverick John McCain cannot complete his term, if elected. But even so, I'm not so comfortable knowing she can become President if something should happen to him. John McCain supprised everyone, especially in his own party when he picked Sarah Palin.
With her ignorance of foreign policy, not to mention her gun loving values, how can she really portray herself to other countries as now becoming one of the most powerful people in the world as President of the United States? I believe her experience and whatever qualifications that she has for the Vice-Presidential position she is seeking are non-existent. And even the fact that she thinks she is qualified tells the world exactly what kind of person she really is.

Now what about Joe Biden? What is his take on his opponent for VP, Sarah Palin?
First, he considers her a formidable opponent. He knows that she really knows how to zing people. with her speech. But Joe Biden will question her judgment on things, not her motive.
Joe Biden became a Senator in 1973, and is current chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He has served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He unsuccessfully sought the Presidential nomination in both 1988 and 2008. Joe seems to be very experienced in foreign policy. To me, he should be able to fill the bill as President if Obama couldn't complete his term in office.

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