Is this very subtle tongue-in-cheek? You should see the comments about this interview over on Politico.

What you mean is that she took what might have been a valid point and turned it into jibberish.

Thank you for this clarification. I was wondering what on earth she was talking about, especially with the vague comments about something like "sending out to meet them" (don't have the exact quote in front of me).

The clip is not nearly as crazy as it first seemed.

Maybe it suggests a strategy for Sarah -- make weird, vague statements that seem totally crazy, but have close at hand something to point to to substantiate the statements. Then decry the "attack dog media" and everyone "rooting for Sarah to fail."

mkayser0,

The problem with that idea is it would require the voters to do more than make their first impression on the content.  People STILL think Barack Obama is half-Muslim.  Having her parade around making gibberish statements is going to further cripple the McCain campaign.

I seem to recall we had Democratic presidents during a time when the approach of Russian aircraft toward Alaska could have meant open war.

So the relevance of Palin's comment escapes me.  Does she suggest that only Republicans can scramble fighters?  Or that Obama would sell the fighters on eBay the way Palin sold the governor's jet?

Palin could do worse than to pick more fights with Matt Yglesias, expert on Russian military aviation.

The answer was a followup to Couric's question.why does Alaska's proximity to Russia "enhance your foreign policy credentials."?

“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– where do they go? It’s Alaska.”

Really? Nope, "The Governor has "no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.” [The Associated Press, 8/31/2008]

Do we really think the mayor of Minot, North Dakota (Minot Air Force Base) can claim he has foreign policy credential because his jurisdiction includes the 91st Missile Wing of the Air Force Space Command? I don't know if Minot is more of a target than Alaska but those ICBM's are in his neighborhood & I doubt he or anyone under his authority is dealing with US foreign policy.

Maybe we need to know if Alaska is ready to go to war and the POTUS doesn't know it?

well, it's not all that surprising. not at all. the next thing that we might expect to hear, given that she has already hinted at channelling god, is that she knows Putin's thoughts or perhaps Bin Ladin's.  That would be rich.

and

TLaBorn said:

mkayser0,

The problem with that idea is it would require the voters to do more than make their first impression on the content.  People STILL think Barack Obama is half-Muslim.  Having her parade around making gibberish statements is going to further cripple the McCain campaign.

i totally disagree with this. you fail to point out that the people who believe that Obama is a practicing Muslim plotting to eliminate the US for good are the people who will be posting this all over the place as the new found truth about Sarah Palin. See, they will say, she negotiates with Russia and she stands up to Putin and pushes him back (remember that push back? it's an important quality) every single time he tries to invade the United States of America and he does it like well, he does it a lot ok.

ironyroad  wrote, "So the relevance of Palin's comment escapes me.  Does she suggest that only Republicans can scramble fighters?"

The point I made above. No, she isn't in that decision loop. We don't have 50 governors with their own foreign policy, national defense strategy and the value of a state's assets, the probability of attack or proximity to potential enemies doesn't allow them to claim "foreign policy credentials". In her mind, perhaps. The next question should have been, "So, what would do you do if you saw a missile?" [Whoosh]

FYI,  the Tu-95 isn't even a jet.  It's a prop-driven bomber that has been in service for over 50 years.

en.wikipedia.org/.../Tupolev_Tu-95

Something tells me Sarah Palin doesn't know that.

   I'm sure that the more geographically knowledgable will correct me if necessary, but isn't it true that the most direct flight path from Moscow to Washington is north from Moscow, over the pole, and then south over Canada to the U.S.?  Where does Alaska fit in?

RRB - just as our main bases are 1000s of miles west of DC, the Russians' strategic air bases include many that are many 1000s of km east of Moscow. Those TU-95s probably would have left from the base in Ukraina-Seryshevo in the Russian Far East. Here's a map of Soviet-era airfields. Not sure if they're all in operation.

maps.google.com/maps

The only thing close to concrete policy experience Palin offered was in this exchange ...

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

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth.

... and then Palin veered abruptly into the imagery of Putin rearing his head and entering Alaskan airspace.

So I'm wondering, what about those "trade missions"? Do they exist between Alaska and Russia? And if so, why didn't she expound on that instead of veering off abruptly into the imagery of Putin rearing his head and entering Alaskan airspace?

Oh, for the love of God, the Soviets/Russians have been sending bombers towards Alaska since the 1950's.  They do it to test our air defense repsponse. They also send bombers towards Greenland then down the East Coast.  That would make any Governor in the Northeast a Russian expert.  

 And guess what?  We've done the same since time immemorial  - that is send bombers or electronics surveillance aircraft towards their airspace to measure their response, capture radar signals and communications.  That Moose Momma realizes this in 2008 makes her a big expert on Russia and defense?  She had a "secret briefing".   For cryin' out lout, pick any issue of "Janes" or "Aviation Weekly" and there will be a picture of a TU-95 Bear escorted by a couple fo F-16s.

And no, Moose Momma does not control the interceptors.  They are controlled by Northern Command (NORTHCOM).  I don't think she's scrambling F-15's and  F-16's from her kitchen.

Palin: If Putin rears his nasty head and comes into Alaska air space why that'd be a heckava thing.

Reporter: Are you claiming that if Russia should intrude into US air space you think that having been governor of Alaska gives you foreign policy experience to deal with the matter?

Palin: Ma'am, I answered your question. I answered the darned... I'm cooperatin' here!

Reporter: You have no call to get snippy with me, I'm just doing my job.

Palin: I'm... I'm not arguing here! I'm cooperating. So there's no need to... we're doin' all we can here(gets up and leaves).

Reporter: She's fleeing the interview!

From U.S. Northern Command's official website:

USNORTHCOM’s AOR includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical miles. It also includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. The defense of Hawaii and our territories and possessions in the Pacific is the responsibility of U.S. Pacific Command. The defense of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is the responsibility of U.S. Southern Command. The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with Canada and Mexico.

No where does it mention the Governor of Alaska somehow being in the chain of command.

I'm experiiencing deja vu-what I wrote now sounds familiar(from these threads). Did somebody already do this. I may be having a "McCain moment."