What? No mainstream media covering this? Shocking!

[kandrathe]

I think you are confused.

Probably.

As far as I know, Sarah Palin's claims were that you can see Russia from a part of Alaska, which is strictly speaking true, and that the proximity of Russia somehow gave her foreign policy cred, which is absurd.

I think she was pointing out that Russia borders Alaska, and Canada... Meaning that Alaska is unlike the lower 48, in that they don't really have "easy borders". Border states, especially our southern ones, have many more issues to deal with, and more federal interactions. And, that, yes... The Alaskan government would be a part of negotiations for exploitation of resources in border areas, with Canada, and Russia. From that point of view, as a governor, she may have had more time negotiating with foreign countries than Obama did. It's a hard point to make, and you are correct that she failed in making that point, if that was her point (I've never seen the extended 3 days on film). The Katy Couric 3 days of filming interview was distilled down to her worst moments, and edited to show her in a very negative light. It was a hatchet job, and it worked. They came at her sideways, smiling (Katy was a good friend of one of Sarah's press advisers), and she fell for it, shame on her for her naiveté in dealing with snakes.

The line about seeing it from her backyard, is Tina Fey. This is an obvious parody - seeing Russia from Wasilla or Anchorage, or even seeing the island from which you can see Russia, would be like seeing San Francisco from San Diego, or Scotland from France.

Yes, this is probably where I developed the bias. I clearly remember the line "I can see Russia from my house". So, SNL's media role in smearing Sarah worked, even on me.