CNN: Sarah Palin Has Never Seen Russia From Alaska

Just when you thought the whole "I can see Russia from Alaska" thing couldn't get any funnier...CNN's Gary Tuchman delivers the goods: it turns out that Sarah Palin has never seen Russia from Alaska.

Tuchman went up to the part of Alaska from which you can actually see Russia, a remote island called Little Diomede located just 2.4 miles from its Russian twin, Big Diomede.

It turns out Gary Tuchman's trip to Little Diomede sets him apart from Sarah Palin -- because she's never actually been there, nor has she set eyes on its neighbor in Russia.

Here's the video of Tuchman's report:

Tuchman says that only 150 people live on Little Diomede, and that the town of Diomede has no streets and no cars. The poverty rate is over 40%, there is no television, and the only practical way to reach it is by helicopter. Anchorage (near Palin's hometown) is 550 miles away.

No Alaskan governor has ever visited Little Diomede, though indicted U.S. Senator Ted Stevens has made the trip. The town's residents barely knew who Palin was, and one of them didn't know she was the VP nominee.

It's going to be fun watching McCain-land spin this one, and it's going to be even more fun watching Tina Fey parody it.

Comments

[MadDog]

Hey, cut it out. She has a map and can see the Russia and the Eye-raq, and after all is a U.S. American. Give her a break. She's just as qualified as Miss Teen South Carolina too.

Just say NO to Bush 44.

[cmarmonhalm]

Even if Sarah Palin had been to this island, she still would NOT have any foreign policy experience. It's a ridiculous statement to make.

[GabrielVH]

i just want to know if she is aware that Putin is the prime minister of Russia... 'cause the president of Russia is Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin gets called "President of Russia" too often...

[Jamchinadian]

Good point; too bad Couric didn't ask.

[ElvisGump]

Until McCain picked Palin I had been thinking as an Obama voter at least he won't be as bad as Bush if he should win. Sure he's been in the pocket of big business forever despite all this maverick pablum, but I thought of him as at least someone who wouldn't BS us completely.

But defending Palin the way he has? This have veered from being polite, past saving face into sheer desperation to say anything to get elected.

Sure Biden stuck his foot in his mouth up to his knee the other week with the gaffe about FDR the Depression, stock market crash and all that, but at least he got the the gist of FDR leveing with the public about how bad things really were right.

Palin is just making stuff up and McCain is standing there like Rod Sterling agreeing that it's all true. Imagine a world of things and ideas that might be true, but aren't. This is the Twilight Zone come to life.

[Jamchinadian]

Biden will make a Gaffe on occasion; Palin will speak Gibberish on most occasions. There is a world of difference between a Gaffe and Gibberish.

[ElvisGump]

Yeah, that's what I meant though Biden saying when the stock market crashed during the Depression FDR got on tv and leveled with the public was so gaff-tastic that even Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show" had to point it out.

Still, as a Gump, I've got to say dumb runs in my family, but nothing like Palin. I mean even Uncle Forrest can name Brown v. Board of Education.­..

[lagumbo]

My God how much more pathetic can this campaign, acndancy, and veep gets. What must her husband be thinking? Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe the spotlight has blinded him too. This must be the worst presidental campaign ever assembled in history. Just like the Republican Party. DOG FOOD.
But I must say it makes me feel so good to see them get a taste of their own medican for a change.
Kar Rove , your are really slipping. I know you are helping McCain try to pull this off. But that's what happens when the american people say enough is enough. We won't be dupped anymore. GOP thought they could pawn John MCCaIN and Sarah Barracuda off as canidates for the president and vice president of the United States. I must say , Karl Rove taught us well.

[iyamchazz]

Well...the­re goes the foreign policy credentials.

[mjorgey]

LOL, I am dying here.. Classic

[candlepower]

Lovin' it!
Little Diomede's Mayor is attacking across the bering with all he got, cos the governor done cut his military aid so he's pelting them with garbage!!

[DangitRuss]

Little Diomede's Mayor has more foreign policy experience than Palin and he's thrown garbage at the Russian coast. That's hardcore.

Sarah Palin has no doubt seen the Russians. I'm sure she's seen them in "Spies like us" or a Bond flick or two.

[Blk independant]

I think I seen Putin raring his ugly head through one of those outpost, LOL...PALI­N is really luney

[candlepower]

come on Z-Kai
Don't you think we deserve to have fun with these moronski's?
I think if they say this garbage we should be able to laugh it up at their expense and it is fit and just that someone goes to Little Diomede to see just how the governor of our 49th has prepared for Putin's Head!
Clearly she's done jack to prepare for a Putin head landing and as an American that makes me real scared!

[theboardedwindow]

another GLARING, OBVIOUS LIE from McCain / Palin.....­.

"who'd a' thunk?"

disgraceful, disgusting, dishonest.­... yet ANOTHER farce.....­...

the last thing America needs is more of what we've seen from McCain / Palin....

YES WE CAN!!!
Obama/Biden '08!

[zoe kai elefteria]

this is such a technicality. because: 1. she was referencing the proximity. 2. if we believe her argument to be wholly irrelevant to her VP qualifications, then we should be focusing on what her statement implies, not the veracity of her irrelevant statement.

[Ramirez]

That's not the point. The point of the CNN segment was to ridicule Palin.

Her actual quote was:
"They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska -- from an island in Alaska."

This is obvious and everyone knows that anyway. But it was twisted into a claim that Palin said she had SEEN Russia herself. This is why CNN went to the island: to get quotes from locals and to establish that Palin had never been there.

The final twist is to read comments here that claim Palin said she "could see russia from her house."

This is how a meme is developed and CNN is only playing their part. The odd thing is that everyone with a brain knows the truth and no one cares.

[candlepower]

yeah Ramirez you're right
Everyone is saying this to laugh at her
Because she's as palookaville as her boss and seems to have an idea that if she wails like a cheerleader and, oh yeah, doesn't blink even when big Putin's head is looming in the sky over the NorthPole then she has a right to lead the country which in this dangerous era is so off-the-planet we've all pretty much had enough.
Y'know we are still big and bad and dangerous to know but there are alot of other big and bad guys out there and that means we can't afford more palooka's in the whitehouse.
If Palin's head looms large over me she should be prepared for a verbal shellackin'!!!

[wookierage]

yup, yup. payback for all the right-wingers who screwed gore out of his internet invention.
suck on it.

[11907281]

The ridicule is deserved. You can spin it so she was just saying it because alaska is close but think about the question that gave us this wingnut answer. Even if you claim she is technically right, it still was the dumbest answer to "what foreign policy experience do you have?". Now explain where she gets her news souces, cause I've never heard of the "any of them, all of them" news channel or paper?

[plafayette]

crawl out of the "tank" and vote or a better America...­.we need you!

[LAeditor]

A quick thought about Palin vs. Russia and how the proximity gives her credibility.

Setting aside the obvious lunacy of the statement let's look at it a little deeper.

You are Putin and decide to attack the US mainland. You would NEVER fly over Alaska - it would give away your surprise. Russia would actually not fly at all, they would use ICBM's. Even more likely, they would park "boomer" submarines off the coast and the whole thing would be over in about ten minutes.

Actually, Alaska might be the last to know of a Russian attack -- when they couldn't get a call through to the lower 48.

[Ramirez]

LAeditor writes: "Setting aside the obvious lunacy of the statement let's look at it a little deeper."

Okay. Please explain the obvious lunacy of her statement. Here it is:

"They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska -- from an island in Alaska."
-- Sarah Palin

[wookierage]

the lunacy is quite clear. she is trying to equate geographic proximity with foreign relations expertise.

i live in austin tx, so therefore, i am an expert in US-Mexico trade relations.
I can see the moon at night, this makes me an expert in space policy.
I can log onto HuffPost, this makes me an expert in technology policy. doh.

[Ramirez]

Welcome to HuffPo and thank you for your first post.

[bdl0715]

Isn't Russia IN Alaska?

[Ave-Gabrielle]

So Diomede's Alaska Mayor could be VP of the USA one day? No, he's not pretty and slick and fast-talking. This area sure looks poor, 40% poverty rate? No TV? Looked like a third world. And their garbage floats over to Russia? I bet Russia's president Putin is in his office saying "Alaska? Sarah who? Why are WE being brought into this?" Russians don't think about us, the USA. And that's good, but hey Palin is keeping an eye on them. This clip doesn't bother McCain's camp, hey, he knows what he's doing. And anytime someone questions him he brings up his POW years. I wonder if other POWs are offended because they don't use their POW experience as an example that they are good and honorable. It is what they are doing NOW that counts. When one depends on yesterdays to help today or tomorrow, you wind up repeating yesterdays. Make no mistake, McCain would rather have war than peace and anyone following his speeches will tell you that. Unless, you yourself do not care for peace.

[Lotus19]

"I bet Russia's president Putin is in his office saying "Alaska? Sarah who? Why are WE being brought into this?"

LOL

[candlepower]

Have you seen the state of Little Diomede!?
I couldn't believe it
Where are the gun implacements, the missile systems, the early warning radar
you know all that stuff the governor put in.
It just shows you
she shouldn't have bought it without checking they installed it. Seems she can't be trusted to look after our taxes after-all.