Sarah Palin defends her foreign policy experience as governor of Alaska

Sarah Palin defends her foreign policy experience as governor of Alaska

BY DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Thursday, September 25th 2008, 5:23 PM

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Gov. Sarah Palin defended her foreign policy experience as governor of Alaska.

Gov. Sarah Palin insisted in an interview to air Thursday evening her home state of Alaska's proximity to Russia does, in fact, constitute foreign policy experience.

"Well, it certainly does because our - our next-door neighbors are foreign countries," the GOP veep nominee, referring to Russia and Canada, said in a sitdown with CBS' Katie Couric that aired last night.

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Asked if she had held negotiations with Russia, Palin said "we have trade missions back and forth." She then launched into a discussion about 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," she said.

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"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."

Palin was referring to U.S. fighter jets that are occasionally scrambled from Alaskan air bases when Russian war planes stray too close to U.S. air space, aides said.

The comments came as Palin wrapped up two full days of foreign policy meetings in New York with a half-dozen world leaders in town for the UN General Assembly.