Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Whittington: Sarah Palin Has Offered One Of The Most Sophisticated Analyses Of Obama's Defense & Foreign Policy Ever Published



One gets the feeling that American national security would be in far better hands if they belonged to the hockey mom from Wasilla than they are now in the hands of the Harvard Law graduate.

~ Mark Whittington


I know lot of people think Sarah Palin would be our "Energy President," which is almost a given, and/or our "Fiscally Adept President" which again, is kind of given. The thing people forget is Sarah Palin would also be our National Security President.

While everyone, even her harshest critics, will tell you Sarah is the go to person on energy issues, and her record of fiscal responsibility in government is above reproach, many still fail to realize that Sarah Palin has a keen intellectual understanding of foreign policy, and national security.

I blame whoever was in charge of introducing her to the nation on the McCain team. I’ve followed Sarah Palin since her earliest days as Governor, and even I was going what the ....?

With that said, Sarah has a solid understanding of foreign policy, and most certainly understands the urgency of national security. One of the very first speeches Sarah gave, after leaving office, was in Hong Kong, where she spoke extensively about foreign policy and national security. You’ll never hear her speak about energy policy, without tying it to foreign policy and national security. She understands how all of these complex issues intertwine better than most.

Sarah speaks a lot about her son Track, who is in the Army, and has served in Iraq, but there is more to it than that. Sarah was the Commander-In-Chief of the Alaska National Guard, a very active Guard, and one that is permanently deployed.

Her job was not just ceremonial. Sarah Palin was an active C-I-C.

She was also Commander-In-Chief of the Alaska Defense Force, and went to battle with the Obama regime when Obama unilaterally decided to cut off the pensions of the remaining ADF veterans of WW II, who fought the Japanese on Alaskan soil, not long after taking office. 

Sarah took swift and decisive action over Obama’s slap to the face of these American heroes, signing legislation to make sure these brave men still got paid, and worked with the Alaska delegation to Congress to eventually overturn Obama’s slight.

All of this points to a solid, dependable Commander-In-Chief, as does the rest of her record, but the event that has really started gaining steam was her recent speech in Norfolk, Virginia where she absolutely ripped Obama to shreds over his foreign policy and national security stances.

You can read our take here.

In this speech she laid out a bold and aggressive agenda of her own.

Sarah also released a transcript of the highlights of her speech on her Facebook blog. It’s that detailed Facebook entry that has everyone sitting up and taking notice.. It’s a powerful indictment of the Obama regime, but also serves to remind people (and wake some up to the fact) that Sarah Palin has a keen strategic mind, and not just for politics, but for policy.

Sarah is not a boring policy wonk. She is not one of those folks that walk around sounding like an encyclopedia, and thank God for that! Sarah’s skill lies in being able to take all of the pertinent information, lay it out, and see the big picture. She is able to see cause and effect. There are precious few people in our world that are really good at this.

Anyhow, we’ve known this all along. The big story here is all of the chattering class, the pundits, are starting to realize this as well, and her Facebook blog is receiving rave reviews.

One such pundit is Mark Whittington:


Sarah Palin usually uses her Facebook page to offer brief, pithy comments on issues of the day, or to respond to the latest attacks. But, Palin has now offered one of the most sophisticated analyses of Obama's defense and foreign policy ever published.

The post, based upon a recent speech in Virginia, covers a variety of points about what passes for Obama's defense and foreign policy.

On defense spending and the budget deficit, Palin suggests that Obama is practicing fiscal discipline on defense alone, and is being profligate everywhere else: "This administration may be willing to cut defense spending, but it's increasing it everywhere else. I think we should do it the other way round: cut spending in other departments - apart from defense. We should not be cutting corners on our national security."

Sarah Palin zeroes in on the Navy as especially important to American national security: "Our Navy has global responsibilities. It patrols sea lanes and safeguards the freedoms of our allies - and ourselves. The Navy right now only has 286 ships, and that number may decrease. That will limit our options, extend tours for Navy personnel, lessen our ability to secure our allies and deter our adversaries. The Obama administration seems strangely unconcerned about this prospect."

Palin also attacks the Obama administration for its somewhat weaselly language concerning the War On Terror, refusing to use the term "Islamic" to describe terrorists. She strikes at the proposal to close Guantanamo, imposing an end date on the Afghan Campaign, and the plan to try terrorists like Khalid Sheik Mohammed in civilian courts.

But, the most damning part of Sarah Palin's polemic against Obama defense and foreign policy is the President's tendency to coddle enemies and spurn allies, which she quotes a Czech official as being "enemy centric."

On coddling enemies, "Meanwhile, the Obama Administration reaches out to some of the world's worst regimes. They shake hands with dictators like Hugo Chavez, send letters to the Iranian mullahs and envoys to North Korea, ease sanctions on Cuba and talk about doing the same with Burma. That's when they're not on one of their worldwide apology tour."

And, on the Obama tendency to slam allies: "They escalated a minor zoning issue in Jerusalem into a major dispute with our most important ally in the Middle East, Israel. They treated the Israeli Prime Minister shabbily in Washington. When a Turkish sponsored flotilla threatened to violate a legal Israeli blockade of Hamas-run Gaza, the Obama Administration was silent. When Israeli commandos were assaulted as they sought to prevent unmonitored cargoes from being delivered to Hamas terrorists, the Obama Administration sent signals it might allow a UN investigation into the matter - an investigation that would be sure to condemn our ally Israel and bemoan the plight of Hamas. Loyal NATO allies in central Europe were undermined by the cancellation of a missile defense program with virtually no warning."

Why is President Obama making these mistakes? Sarah Palin has an explanation:

"When asked whether he believed in American exceptionalism, President Obama answered, 'I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.' Amazing. Amazing."

"I think this statement speaks volumes about his world view. He sees nothing unique in the American experience? Really? Our founding, and our founding mothers and fathers? Really? And our history over the past two and half centuries?"

This has caused President Obama to be reluctant to embrace America's role as the dominant super power in the world, to perhaps even think that America as a great power is something pernicious.

One thing that Palin's analysis of Obama defense and foreign policy should lay to rest forever is the notion of Sarah Palin as brainless bimbo, the caricature first performed by Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey and used by political comedians like John Stewart and Bill Maher. The analysis shows a depth of understanding of the problems with the Obama administration's foreign and defense policies that far exceed most people's understanding.

And, yet, it is Obama who is considered the smart one. One gets the feeling that American national security would be in far better hands if they belonged to the hockey mom from Wasilla than they are now in the hands of the Harvard Law graduate.

We most certainly agree. It’s interesting to note that the other so-called leaders, in the GOP 2012 presidential derby, are all quite conspicuous by their absence on these issues. No one is holding Obama’s feet to the fire but Sarah Palin.

In case you missed her speech:







Obviously Sarah has her own style of delivery, and her own vocabulary but, when I see her give speeches like this .... I am reminded of another great leader: Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan, Sarah is able to see the big picture, see threats to Liberty and Freedom, take these complex issues and then distill them all down to a simple, but effective and coherent vision of a workable plan.

America needs leadership. Solid, dependable, intelligent leadership. For this, we must look to the North Star. It will be the daughter of our 49th state, the moose hunter, hockey mom, and former Governor of the last frontier, who will lead this nation back to it greatness. It will be Sarah Palin who will make sure that America is always that shining city on a hill.

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