Sarah Palin: 'I told you so on Ukraine'
It鈥檚 not true that Sarah Palin once said 鈥淚 can see Russia from my house.鈥� That was comedian and Palin impersonator Tina Fey on 鈥淪aturday Night Live.鈥�
But back in 2008 when she was the GOP鈥檚 vice presidential candidate, trying to establish her credentials on things like foreign policy, the ex-Governor of Alaska did say of Russia, 鈥淭hey're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.鈥�
Which is literally true 鈥� on a clear day if you stand on your tippy-toes and gaze from聽the Alaskan island of Little Diomede聽across the International Date Line to聽the unpopulated Russian island of Big Diomede two and one half miles away.
This running joke about Ms. Palin 鈥� who went on to become a Fox News commentator, star of her own brief reality show, and well-paid Obama scold on behalf of the tea party 鈥� came to mind when she went on Facebook to comment on the crisis in Ukraine:
鈥淵es, I could see this one from Alaska,鈥� 鈥淚'm usually not one to Told-Ya-So, but I did, despite my accurate prediction being derided as 鈥榓n extremely far-fetched scenario鈥� by the 鈥榟igh-brow鈥� Foreign Policy magazine. Here鈥檚 what this 鈥榮tupid鈥� 鈥榠nsipid woman鈥� predicted back in 2008: 鈥楢fter the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama's reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia's Putin to invade Ukraine next.鈥欌��
Then she went on Fox News to elaborate.
"Back in 2008, I accurately predicted the possibility of Putin feeling emboldened to invade Ukraine because I could see what kind of leader Barack Obama would be,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he bullies of the world are always emboldened by indecision and moral equivalence. We can expect more of this sort of thing in a world where America is gutting its military and 'leading from behind.'"
As usual, Palin is nothing if not controversial, and she delights in tweaking the 鈥渓amestream media.鈥�
Earlier in the week, Palin won Newshound鈥檚 鈥渕ost outrageous quote鈥� reader poll for another Facebook post: 鈥淚f he is good enough for Ted Nugent, he is good enough for me!鈥� (Newshound鈥檚 motto is 鈥淲e watch Fox so you don鈥檛 have to.鈥�)
Ted Nugent, of course, is the geezer rocker who called President Obama a 鈥渃ommunist-educated, communist-nurtured, subhuman mongrel.鈥� Palin鈥檚 reference was in support of Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for Texas governor now serving as the state鈥檚 Attorney General, who has welcomed Nugent鈥檚 endorsement 鈥� or at least refused to say anything critical about 鈥淭he Nuge鈥檚鈥� political pronouncements.
Meanwhile, fellow tea partiers have been chuckling over Palin鈥檚 Ukraine moment.
鈥淧alin not only knows where Russia is, but she knew what Putin would do to Ukraine with Obama as president,鈥� radio talk show host Mark Levin tweeted.
鈥淚n light of recent events in Ukraine 鈥� nobody seems to be laughing at or dismissing those comments now,鈥� wrote Tony Lee at Breitbart.com.
Others note that Mitt Romney was accused of reviving the Cold War when, as the 2012 Republican presidential candidate debating Obama, he stated that Russia is "without question our number one geopolitical foe."
At the moment, Palin鈥檚 Facebook post on Ukraine has 66,684 鈥渓ikes鈥� and 15,442 鈥渟hares.鈥�
