The Sarah Palin Interview Part 2: Militaristic Mama

Just made it through the Nightline interview which wasn't all that different from the Readers Digest version they put on the national news at 5:30. Mostly it filled in the cracks, so the ineptly edited earlier version made more sense. For the most part my initial assessment stands. This is a well coached debate student parroting answers to anticipated questions.

This time, however, it did appear that we were hearing some of Palin's own thoughts on issues related to terrorism and the war in Iraq. Given the fact that she just sent her son off to war this was to be expected.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything to indicate that she had thought very deeply about these issues, nor that she understood the complexity of what's been happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kind of like our current commander in chief. In fact, it sounded a whole lot like what we've been hearing for the past six years. The world is pretty much divided between good guys and bad guys. We're the good guys. Good people like us need to send troops wherever we need to go to take out the bad guys because they're out to get us. Don't like our way of life. And it's all about winning and losing, kind of like a high school hockey game only a tad bit bloodier.

Reports about the speech she gave this afternoon at the send off for her son say she made the link that even Bush has stopped making between Iraq and 9/11. She told Gibson that she hates war, but this plus most everything else she said in response to Gibson's commendably pointed questions about foreign policy suggest, despite her attempts to add nuance to her responses, that this is a person who would have no qualms starting wars for what she would consider righteous causes. The bad guys better look out if this pistol packin', moose shooting, pit bull of a hockey mom (with lipstick) is sitting in the White House. There'll be no place to hide. But then, when the nuclear missles start flying we won't have any place to hide either.

This is scary stuff, especially when you put it alongside the militaristic impulses of her running mate ("bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."). And don't forget his shoot from the hip decision making (can anyone spell P-A-L-I-N?).

Next: Palin on global warming