Legal Commentary

Sarah Palin: Bailout is About Health Care Reform

By Jeralyn

Unbelievable that Gov. Sarah Palin could be Vice-President of the United States. She's practically sub-verbal and she makes no sense.

Here she is telling Katie Couric the bailout is about health care reform and that reducing taxes must accompany tax reductions. I kid you not.

Transcript below, along with her newest and absurd defense of her Russia is next door comment.

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? ... Instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up the economy– Oh, it’s got to be about job creation too. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions.

She also didn't learn too much from her speed diplomacy course this week. In the clip below she defends her comment about how living next door to Russia gives her foreign policy experience. Her new explanation is Russia is next door to Alaska and Russia and the U.S. have "trade missions." [More...]

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Here's the transcript:

Katie Couric: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

Sarah Palin: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and, on our other side, the land-boundry that we have with Canada. It's funny that a comment like that was kinda made to ... I don't know, you know ... reporters.

Couric: Mocked?

Palin: Mocked, yeah I guess that's the word, mocked.

Couric: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign-policy credentials.

Palin: Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of. And there...

Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It's very important when you consider even national-security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right next to, they are right next to our state.

Truly frightening. It's a good thing Obama is beating McCain on the economy and that's all Americans care about now. Or, is it?

Update: TPM found this 2007 Seattle Times article on how little Palin has done for (or cared about) Russian diplomacy and joint initiatives.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 25, 2008 (boomark / email).