She's a parrot. Nothing more. Maybe less.

Granted that I have only seen the Palin snippets regarding the Russian-Georgian conflict and the Bush doctrine response. The Israel responses will likely play well to her Conservative Christian base. Many others, me included, will sleep a little less easy tonight knowing that this woman is one of the two people who will be our next VP.

How will they cover up the fact that her view of the Georgian conflict and troop involvement differs from McCain's view? The McCain campaign will do what it always does, McCain and Palin will lie.

Sadly, Chris Mathews, Mike Barnacle, James Carville, et. al. will still regard McCain as honorable despite the lies.

I'll track down he entire interview as I was watching the Service Forum. for now, color me terrified.

This interview has probably ended any chance for Georgia or the Ukraine to gain Nato membership. Palin seems committed to go to war over any territory disputes between those states and Russia. It simply does not seem reasonable that either Germany or France would be willing to go to war over that. Britain does not count since it is now no more than an echo chamber for any US foreign policy initiative. But Germany and France must now realize that their future could very well be tied to the American wingnut party. In fact, this could very well lead to the end of Nato itself.

Is this like her trying to say, especially to Florida voters, "I used to be a friend of Pat Buchanan, but no more."? This talking point was easy for her to remember in the schooling process. I am mot saying she is dumb, she just doesn't know what she doesn't know. She definitely knows about divinely inspired oil pipelines, guns, moose, earmarks, guns, how to abuse power, how to say 'no thanks' and still keep the money, that Russia is geographically near Alaska and guns.

It is an oversimplification to say that "NATO was created to forestall a Soviet invasion of Europe". I think it is more correct to say that it was created to keep the United States engaged militarily and politically in Europe because after the First World War they pulled out leaving a partial vacuum that Britain and France were not strong enough to fill. You may be right that Putin has no interest in invading Europe but neither you nor I now what the future brings and with what looks the final demise of democracy in Russia, we don't know what sort of crazed dictator might arise there in the future and we can't be sure whether future Russian leaders will use their energy sources supplied to Europe in order to blackmail them. NATO is a good insurance against such a possibility, and I am sure that Obama agrees with me (whether or not it is wise to include former Soviet states like the Baltic states or the Ukraine or Georgia is another matter-after all the US has the Monroe Doctrine, so it is understandable to some extent that the Russians would not want NATO in their former turf, as long as they guarantee the independence of those states).

I thought Sarah learned her lines well for the interview. I was reminded of a fourth grader who studied all night and when the teacher asked questions, she didn't even have to give them any thought. "I know this one - as President Lincoln said" "I know this one - we won't second guess Israel" She could have just said "yes" and been done with it, but that isn't what she memorized. She needs to pretend to think a little and look like she is making careful consideration before she answers. The best thing the democrats could do it totally ignore her. Her 15 minutes is just about up. Get back to Barack in front of crowds and make it McCain/Bush vs. Obama.

Another war now screwed up. A bigger deficit. MOre home foreclsures. Lehman brothers going under. fannie mae and freddie Mac in bailout mode. I thought Republicans were the business and security party. No that was last week before Sarah Palin. Now they are the change party.

Geez!

It was like that scene in the Terminator when Arnold is repairing his shattered eyeball and the flophouse manager walks by his room and from the hallway shouts out, 'What stinks in there?'

In the Terminator's field of vision we see a list of possible responses drop down and one of them begins to flash on and off: 'Fuck you asshole!" he manages to produce.

That is what Sarah Palin looked like. Like a bad Turing Device.