Video & Photos: Sarah Palin Interview with Katie Couric CBS Evening News 9-25-08 (Part 2) Palin Couric Interview Video

Sarah Palin interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, September 24, 2008

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was interviewed by CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on September 24, 2008, and part 2 of the interview was broadcast on September 25, 2008. Day 2 focused on foreign policy. Palin continued to assert, as she did in her first major interview with ABC News anchor Charles Gibson, that Alaska’s proximity to Russia counted as foreign policy experience, while acknowledging that she has been mocked for the assertion.

In only her third nationally televised interview since she was nominated earlier this month — this one on CBS with anchor Katie Couric — Palin was asked what she meant.

“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was — kind of made to — I don’t know, you know? Reporters,” Palin said, explaining that she had been mocked.

Asked to explain why living near Russia enhances her foreign policy credentials, Palin responded: “Well, it certainly does because our — our next-door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of.”

Asked whether she had ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians, Palin answered: “We have trade missions back and forth. We — we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where — where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is — from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to — to our state.”

Source: Palin defends foreign policy experience

With an answer like that, Palin has only dug herself in deeper. She could have done no worse by repeating verbatim the line from the recent Saturday Night Live skit with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin: “I can see Russia from my house.”

Sarah Palin interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, September 24, 2008

Palin did not fare any better in attempting to characterize Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama as “beyond naïve” and “beyond bad judgment” for wanting to talk “without preconditions” to rogue leaders such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Her attempt to evoke former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as an authority to justify the assertion backfired.

Asked if she considers former Republican Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to be “naïve” for supporting talks without preconditions, Palin said, “I’ve never heard Henry Kissinger say, ‘Yeah, I’ll meet with these leaders without preconditions being met.’”

Palin was overlooking that Kissinger (with whom she met earlier this week) has backed negotiating directly with Iran over its nuclear program and other bilateral issues — a point which Couric reconfirmed at the closer of her interview.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin meets with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in New York, September 23, 2008
Governor Sarah Palin met with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in New York City on September 23, 2008 during her series of meetings with international leaders at the UN General Assembly. (Photo credit: Chris Hondros/Getty Images North America)

“Incidentally,” said Couric, “we confirmed Henry Kissinger’s position following our interview, he told us he supports talks if not with Ahmadinejad, than with high-level Iranian officials without preconditions.”

When contacted by ABC News about the split in position with Kissinger, the McCain-Palin campaign had no immediate comment.

Source: Palin, Kissinger Split on Talks with Ahmadinejad

Photo credit: ABC News