See, I was as confused as Greg Sargent when Palin said this in her interview with Katie Couric:
COURIC: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials?
PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our next door neighbors are foreign countries. they're in the state that i am the executive of. And there in Russia --
COURIC: Have you ever been involved with 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 airspace of the United States of America, where do they go?
It's Alaska, It's right over the border. It is from Alaska, that we send those out to make sure an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.
So, yeah, that didn't make any sense at all, so I figured, best to head over to FoxNews.com and see if they have any spin on it...
And I found an article right on the front page with this headline:
Palin Explains Alaska-Russia Foreign Policy Remark
Awesome! This'll be great! Now I'll get to understand what any of that malarkey from the Couric interview was really meant to be! I read the first paragraph and, hey, wait a second...
NEW YORK — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin defended her remark that the proximity of Russia to her home state of Alaska gives her foreign policy experience, explaining in a CBS interview airing Thursday that "we have trade missions back and forth."
...in a CBS interview airing Thursday? No way. Couldn't be.
In the interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric,
Aw, you gotta be kidding me.
"We have trade missions back and forth," she replied, although Russia is not among the state’s top 20 export partners. As she continued, Palin brought up Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"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. 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 there. They are right next to ... to our state," she said.
Yep, you got it. That answer to Couric's question inspired the headline "Palin Explains Alaska-Russia Foreign Policy Remark."
I guess that's one way of looking at it, but I prefer Robert Schlesinger's take on Palin over at US News and World Report:
It's like a talking points machine gone out of control. Or magnetic poetry that you have on your fridge
She's a trainwreck.