Laura Bush: Palin Lacks Foreign Policy Experience

WASHINGTON — First lady Laura Bush said Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lacks sufficient foreign policy experience but is a very quick study.

In an interview Wednesday with CNN, the first lady remarked that it's fortunate that Republican presidential nominee John McCain has foreign policy experience himself.

Still, Mrs. Bush said she has a lot of confidence in Palin. She said the Alaska governor has a lot of good common sense, and the first lady added that she is thrilled to have a chance to vote for Palin on the GOP ticket.

Mrs. Bush also said she thinks Palin is being treated unfairly because she is a woman. That, the first lady said, is to be expected.

Comments

[sweetwilly]

i'm a woman and a quick study. can i be a vice-president too?

[benevolent rapscallion]

Only if you can see a foreign country from your house.

[Passenger57]

If I look across the Delaware River, I can see Camden,NJ.­..does that count? I mean,NJ is a peninsula,that's almost an island....

[SailFree]

Possibly.

[JessWonderin]

if not and you have a checking account you could be made Secretary of Treasury . . . . I like cars and have dibs on Transportation Secretary spot . . . .

[habajebe]

Send in a pic (bathing suit preferred) with your vital statistics. We'll give you a call.

[realtalk]

John McCain is a sneaky man, and his obvious calculated, political move today will no doubt appear in a campaign ad next week, McCain claiming that he put his country first! This was simply a sneaky move, for politcal gain by John McCain, and sadly alot of people will probably fall for this disgraceful ploy by John McCain.

Democrats please call your Independent and Democratic friends, and let them know that this is a very calculated, sneaky political move by John McCain, and they should NOT to fall for it!!
The proof that this is all a sneaky political ploy by John McCain is the many negative campaign ads McCain will put out on this NEXT WEEK.

[smokeystover39]

Well if anyone has the ability to spot someone with no experience or 'creds" it's Laura - after all she's lived through almost eight years of hell with "The Decider".

[DieHardObamaSupporter]

Off topic:

Do not allow Mc to postpone the debates call Commission on Presidential Debates at

[phone]

Leave a voicemail message.

[smokeystover39]

Just tried the number you provided and the recording stated that the mailbox was full. I went to the Commission on Presidential Debates website and they do not have a "Contact Us" button. Do you have an email address?

[FebM]

Actually Laura is one Bush I will miss, especially because she is a librarian. Wish she could school Palin a little bit.....

[preatorius]

WTF?
She's been married to dopey fo-ever and it ain't hepped him much!

[cruisepuppy7452a]

Laura isn't as dumb and naive as people assume she is. Truth be known she is the one with the compassion for people. She was coached on what to say about Sarah, but when it came to discussing Palen's ability to deal with foreign affairs, she just couldn't lie anymore. She had to tell the truth, which takes guts. I admire her for this. She knows what a horrible job it is, how hard it is, and that Palen doesn't have the expirience to deal with any of it. Her own husband made a mess of it which is how she knows Palen won't be able to do that job. Laura, thank you for having the guts to tell the truth. I think she is the only Bush to have compassion for the American people, an understanding of what they really need. Unlike her husband, she isn't the greedy one. She is the smart one.

[rachelwebster]

while I would like to think this is the case, sadly i think you might be giving her just a little too much credit.

[benevolent rapscallion]

If Laura Bush was smart she wouldn't be married to Dubya.

[rachelwebster]

wait, her proximity to Russia and the fact she's been to Canada mean nothing?

[jwreed]

Does this web site only have one point of view...I thought liberals wanted equal rights to all.

[JessWonderin]

you have a right to present any "another side" . . . . without lies or bogus Freeper Quotes and references from the Klan Press . . . . and of course no cut'n'paste from the Daily Republican Talking Points Memo . . . . there should be no "side' other than truth.

[labman57]

Palin wants to be treated like "one of the boys", yet any time she receives any criticism, she retreats behind her skirts and cries "sexism". You cannot have it both ways. But then, this type of hypocrisy is SOP for the GOP.

[ylpatriot]

now now , lets be fair..... no worse than obama crying racism whaaaaaa whaaaaaa whaaaaa

[nippyfan]

You don't know what you're talking about. Racism is BEYOND alive and kicking here. It's sad and stupid and I just can't understand how one race can think it's superior to another based on skin color. Mutants are a superior race...if you can fly without a plane, or transport or something similar..t­hen...you are superior to the land dwelling humans.

But if you have to get your ass on a plane to fly..like those of other colors....

[JessWonderin]

Cite . . . cite . . .

Palin is hiding from the People, the Press, Troopergate, reality . . . . but tough enough to take that 3AM call when Johnnie-cakes loses his Metimucel . . . . oh yea . . . .

[Bailey Reynolds]

Sarah Palin and that old guy she's running with are so incompetent and unqualified they are using her sex as a weapon. How pathetic! The only sexist thing that's going on is that they are crying wolf because she's too weak to meet the press - as ANY OTHER VP NOMINEE has had to.

Palin has been so snide and arrogant she doesn't deserve the slightest break.

I never supported Hillary, but I will say this, Hillary has taken on every journalist and every question that was ever thrown her way. Sarah Palin can't hold a candle to her - or anyone else who has ever come before her.

When will this nightmare end?! How could anyone even consider voting for UNSTABLE & UNABLE?!!

[TurtleGuy]

I agree w/ a lot of others, enough of the sexism card already.

Show a single sexist statement that has come directly from the Obama campaign. Go ahead GOP, I triple dog dare you. Biden is probably one of the biggest "feminists" in the country, with a track record of making sure women are treated fairly and equally. Was he not the one that drove the issue of marital rape, finally making it a crime? He's been a champion of women's rights since arriving in Washington.

Palin, on the other hand....

[preatorius]

Yes you are right, but it is the GOOP that is sexist. If she wants to play with the big boys why are they hiding her.
She says the same speech every time,
"I said, 'Thanks but no thanks to the bridge to nowhere!" but I kept the money anyway."

[dora rice]

I have to laugh. Laura Bush of all people criticizing Palin of her lack of foreign experience, while Lauras husband invaded Iraq and didn't even know the difference between sunis and shiites, not where Iraq was located. The only thing her husband ever does for foreign states, is impose sanctions. Every second threat is imposing sanctions on somebody. Which never worked and never will and just makes foreign countries hate us even more if that's possible. So she has no room to talk and should go back to her knitting.

[jwreed]

I think the best thing she has going for her is her lack of Washington DC experience. Look what the experienced ones have done for our economy.An­d it just wasn't the Republicans, there is enough blame for all.

[JessWonderin]

From the sound of her previous political antics, propensity for evasion of facts, pontificating bovine flatulence on issues, accountability problems, subpoenas, running a town from 0 debt to 28 MILLION in 3 years, stuffin' inexperienced cronies into positions of authority and personal advantage . . it REALLY looks like she has the BASIC Republican "Washington D.C. experience" . . . .

[Passenger57]

"Can you drive? Do you have a license?"
"No,but - "
"FORGET IT! Give me the keys back!"
++++++++++­++++++++++­++++++++++­+++
"Do you know what you're doing? Do you even know what your job entails?"
"Not really,but - "
"IT'S SETTLED! You can be Vice-President Of The United States Of America!"

[blurredtruth]

Quite true, however, nor does Obama have any foreign policy experience and he's the number 1 on the ticket.

[Krankil]

Define foreign policy experience

[Pragman]

Well, the enthusiastic response Obama got during his recent overseas tour indicates that he will wield a considerable amount of "soft power".

Wouldn't you think?

[lainey]

Since Senator Obama sits on the Foreign Relations Committe and has met with foreign leaders, not with a photo op (like Palin), but rather with serious conversation. Obama understands cultures and the virtue of diplomacy. One of Senator Obama's first trips as a Senator was to both Palestine and Israel and met with their leaders, realizing their significance in creating a stable world. Senator Obama, along with Senator Lugar (R) co-sponsored to contain "loose nukes", showing his understanding of the worlds vulnerability to them. Most important, Senator Obama had the judgment not to invade Iraq because of the very consequences we have seen unfold before our eyes (read his statement in 2002). He was clear that our focus should be on Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the wake of the Georgian conflict, Obama's cool head once again prevailed. He called on both sides to remain calm and to remember that innocent people are dying. He has keen insight and a thoughtful manner. He is ready to lead. Ms. Palin knows only the talking points given to her and McCain changes his mind daily. His sense of reason has been gone for years...Th­at, my friend, is foreign policy experience.

[harriettubman]

During the first Bush election, he said Laura would be in the background and not the forefront. He was speaking about how vocal Hillary was during the Clinton years. Now look, more people like Laura than they do Bush.

Behind closed doors, Laura's probably saying "WTH did John pick her for?"

[tmsingh]

I wouldn't allow a "quick study" to give me a haircut, much less run my country. I do respect the fact that Mrs. Bush at least answered honestly and didn't make up a load of BS like most supporters do.

[sowhatdemos]

Laura doesn't say a lot in public but when she does "ya better stand up and listen!!!"
Why she's still with... oh wait!! it's the power, the power sucked her in!!