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| Palin says we might have to go to war with Russia: ABC News |
| 2008-09-11 |
| On the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, Gov. Sarah Palin took a hard-line approach on national security and said that war with Russia may be necessary if that nation invades another country. Charles Gibson asks Gov. Sarah Palin if she's prepared to be vice president. In her first of three interviews with ABC News's Charles Gibson and the only interview since being picked by Sen. John McCain as his Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin categorized the Russian invasion of Georgia as "unacceptable" and warned of the threats from Islamic terrorists and a nuclear Iran. SEE EXCERPTS OF CHARLIE GIBSON'S INTERVIEW WITH SARAH PALIN HERE. The Governor advocated the accession of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO. When asked by Gibson if under the NATO treaty, the U.S. would have to go to war if Russia again invaded Georgia, Palin responded: "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help. "And we've got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable," she told ABC News' Charles Gibson in an exclusive interview. Watch Charles Gibson's exclusive interviews with Gov. Sarah Palin beginning tonight on "World News" and "Nightline." Charles Gibson will do three interviews with Palin today and tomorrow. More Friday on "Good Morning America " at 7 a.m. ET," "World News" and on "20/20," which will broadcast a one-hour special edition at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Palin advocated the accession of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO, meaning that if attacked again in the future, the United States would be bound to go to war. "I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help," she said. Palin, who obtained her first passport this year and who has served just two years as Alaska's governor, told Gibson that she was up to the challenge of being Sen. John McCain's vice president. "I answered [McCain]'yes' because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink. Palin sat down with Gibson on a day that was filled with wrenching memories and solemn ceremonies for the nearly 3,000 people who died in the 9/11 attacks. It was also the day that Palin, the mother of five, attended a deployment ceremony for her oldest son, Track, an Army infantryman whose Stryker unit is being shipped off to Iraq later this month. Palin defended a previous statement in which she reportedly characterized the war in Iraq as "task from God". Gibson quoted her as saying: "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." But Palin said she was referencing a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln. "I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words. But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side." When asked if she believed she was "sending [her] son on a task that is from God," Palin said: "I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie. What I know is that my son has made a decision. I am so proud of his independent and strong decision he has made, what he decided to do and serving for the right reasons and serving something greater than himself and not choosing a real easy path where he could be more comfortable and certainly safer." |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #2 Again, e.g. USDODBUZZ > Former USAF SecAF had argued that the US could've and should've given more substantive MILPOL AID to GEORGIA AGZ RUSSIA, INCLUD BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FORMAL DEPLOYMENT OF US SPECOPS + MARINES, etc. TO PRECLUDE IFF NOT MIL STOP RUSS MILOPS!? IOW, BLOG > DIRECT US- OR US-LED UNSC MIL ASSISTANCE + FORCE INTERVENTION??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-09-11 21:25 |
| #1 I'm sure that headline will get a lot of play in the liberal press. Here's what she actually said: GIBSON: And you think it would be worth it to the United States, Georgia is worth it to the United States to go to war if Russia were to invade. PALIN: What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a larger power is something for us to be vigilant against. We have got to be cognizant of what the consequences are if a larger power is able to take over smaller democratic countries. And we have got to be vigilant. We have got to show the support, in this case, for Georgia. The support that we can show is economic sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads to. It doesn't have to lead to war and it doesn't have to lead, as I said, to a Cold War, but economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, again, counting on our allies to help us do that in this mission of keeping our eye on Russia and Putin and some of his desire to control and to control much more than smaller democratic countries. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2008-09-11 20:13 |