McCain took Palin foreign policy advice 'many times' David Edwards, Nick Cargo and Mike Sheehan

Published: Wednesday October 1, 2008





Print This Email This GOP gov.: Palin doesn't have chip on shoulder like some female politicians; Bill Clinton: Next VP needs diplomacy chops



John McCain told NPR's Steve Inskeep that he has turned to his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for foreign policy advice "many times" and wouldn't trust Sens. Obama and Biden because "they've been wrong."



"They were wrong about Iraq, they were wrong about Russia," he said.



Palin's experience as governor of Alaska as it pertains to energy will help her work with the international energy market, McCain said.



"She's been responsible in taking on the oil companies, and we now are going to have a $40 billion natural gas pipeline. She has oversighted [sic] the natural gas and oil and natural resources of the State of Alaska."



"I'm very proud of her," McCain added, "and proud of the knowledge and background that she has, and she's also been the governor of--of a state." There's talk that goes on at venues such as "Georgetown cocktail parties" about certain governors being unqualified for higher office, McCain said, such as Ronald Reagan and one "obscure governor from Arkansas."



McCain made his curious assertion about taking Palin's advice numerous times despite his own campaign's revelation that he'd only met her once before deciding to make her his running mate.



NPR has more details here.



The following audio is from NPR, broadcast on October 1, 2008.







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Barbour contradicts McCain, praises 'normal' females



"Regular people" aren't becoming more skeptical of Gov. Palin after listening to her speak, said Haley Barbour, Mississippi governor and longtime friend of Sen. McCain, to KYTV. That's just the "news people's perception." The media are the skeptics, and the people "liked what they saw," Barbour insisted.



"We'll see how she does in the debate."



"My wife loves her because...she doesn't have a chip on her shoulder like some women politicians, she is very 'normal' -- she doesn't have to tell you how smart she is. But she is a bonafide energy expert...Sarah Palin knows more about energy policy than the other three put together."



Palin wouldn't have much work to do in foreign policy as Vice President, Barbour added, but just like Mississippi is more "sensitive" to hurricanes, for example, than Kansas, Alaska might be more "sensitive," he went on, to our "Cold War opponent" Russia by being closer to its border.



KY3 News political notebook blog has more details here.



This video is from KYTV, broadcast October 1, 2008.









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Clinton says next veep must have foreign policy smarts



Former President Bill Clinton said that the next Vice President will need to have a greater role in foreign policy.



"Now, Senator Obama has spoken a lot about how we ought to relate to the world and, yes, he'll get out and travel some in the first year and we should want him to do it," Clinton told an audience in Orlando, Florida. "But he is going to have to be really focused on fixing this economy. That means that the role of the vice president in repairing quickly our relations in the rest of the world will be relatively more important in the first two years of the next presidency."



This video is from CNN.com, broadcast October 1, 2008.









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