In interview, Palin defends Alaska-Russia remark

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin defended a widely ridiculed remark that the close proximity of Russia to her home state of Alaska gives her foreign policy experience, explaining in an interview airing Thursday that "we have trade missions back and forth." Palin has never visited Russia, and until last year the 44-year-old Alaska governor had never traveled outside North America. She also had never met a foreign leader until her trip this week to New York. In her interview with CBS television, she did not offer any examples of having been involved in any negotiations with the Russians. Palin's foreign policy experience came up when she gave her first major interview, on Sept. 11, to ABC News. Asked what insight she had gained from living so close to Russia, she said: "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." The comment met with derision from Palin's critics and was turned into a punch line for a sketch on the "Saturday Night Live" comedy show featuring actress Tina Fey. Appearing as Palin, she proclaimed, "I can see Russia from my house!"