Much has been written and said about Sarah Palin’s lack of foreign affairs experience. In my opinion her answers have been defensive and nonsensical, such as citing the short distance from Alaska to Russia as an example of this experience. She need not be defensive. There is a perfectly good answer that she should be giving to this question. When asked by a reporter or opposition about her lack of preparedness to be President, which is really an implicit question about her lack of foreign policy experience, she should reply in words like this:
Joe [or other appropriate name], that is a good question for which the American people deserve an answer for any national ticket running for the highest executive offices in our great country. Joe Biden has an impressive resume which compares favorably to mine in some respects, but with all due respect to him, my resume is superior to his AND Barack Obama in other very important respects. When Governors run for national office they are frequently criticized for “lacking foreign policy experience” AND Senators are criticized by their opponents also. For example, Joe Biden has never had to balance a governmental budget or administer a multi-billion dollar one. So, in important respects my resume, including service as a Mayor and Governor, is superior to his or Barack Obama, who, by-the-way is a freshman, first term Senator. Historically, Governors from both Parties, running for President or Vice President, have had little foreign policy experience. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and John Kennedy are some modern day examples. And let me add this, Joe, A Vice Presidential nominee, has about 9 weeks from Election Day to Inauguration Day to prepare for being President if the need were to arise. And let’s be realistic, Joe, only one Vice President has ascended to the Presidency, in the first 6 months of a new Presidential administration. So it is very likely that a new Vice President has at least an additional 6 months or more for experience and preparation. Lastly, if the Vice President should become President, all of the foreign policy advisers that surrounded the President would continue to advise the new President. So, Joe, the American people need not fear my previous lack of foreign policy experience, any more than they should fear your side’s lack of executive experience. On close examination of both tickets, the American people will see that John McCain and I are the best choice. We have the best combination, with John McCain at the top of the ticket, an experienced Senator with vast foreign policy involvement and an aggressive record of challenging the Washington establishment on matters of corruption in government and in politics, with me and my executive experience and a proven record of reducing my state’s government size, cutting taxes and taking on the good old boys network to instill confidence and ethics to government.
Robert Harnack
Cape Ray, Newfoundland, Canada
