What Palin Needs to do Tonight

There is a lot riding on Palin's speech tonight. It is not simply good enough for Palin to give a good speech that further develops her bio. Nor is it good enough for her to deliver campaign one-liners on various issues. Since we know very little about her views on the crucial issues confronting this nation, she needs to do more. She needs to lay out what her positions are on a number of policy areas, specifically on foreign policy - the area of biggest concern.

• What are her views on Iraq? Does she still believe that we need an exit strategy, or does she agree with John McCain's calls to stay indefinitely?
• Will she mention Afghanistan? There is a war there too, which is increasingly going badly. Does she believe that troops must be taken from Iraq and sent to Afghanistan?
• What are her views on global warming? She said she didn't think that global warming was impacted by human activity - a position that McCain disagrees with. How will she address this difference?
• What about Russia? This is the one country that conservatives claim she has some knowledge about. What does she think about the current crisis?
• What about Iran? Does she think that war with Iran may be inevitable or does she think we should attempt to negotiations?

This are important questions that in today's world any nominee for vice president must address.

Comments

[mergina]

Did you really think this speech was going to be ANYTHING but the karl rove attack it was? PUHLEEAASEEE. This woman could not debate her way out of a motorcycle saddlebag. They have no intention of covering real issues. The will hide behind 9-11, generate fear, and use her to attack Obama thinking that they DARE NOT ATTACK HER BACK because she is a woman.

[simonjl]

6 days in and the press haven't been allowed anywhere near her, a cone of silence. For me that's all I need to know about this gimmick

[SusanK1951]

I doubt she's going to confront any of those topics. Her speech will be declared a resounding success because she will be preaching to a choir. My guess is there will be a lot of slamming the media, a lot about abortion and a lot of b.s. about facing down and conquering corruption. And quite a bit about John McCain, a great American hero. I don't want to hear her in prepared speeches, I want to hear her interviewed.

[BillZBubb]

Palin's assignment is not to deliver on substance. Her job is to market herself as a "maverick", show how that fits with McSame, and come across as reasonable and not a fanatic. The less people know about her positions on issues, the better, from the Republican point of view.

McSame's handlers want her to be perceived as the innocent victim of the angry left and "liberal" media. That's what they want the election to be about.

If they were smart, the Democratic leaders would simply ignore her unless/until she took a cheap shot at them. Then they could fire back with a vengeance. Why the Democrats let the Republicans set the agenda is a puzzle.

Attack McSame and McSame only. Keep your eye on the ball! It's McSame vs Obama.

[jvarga]

I would also like to hear her clearly state whether or not she thinks that Christian theology should be included as part of the science curriculum, and regardless of her position, why she feels that way.

[speedingpullet]

Actually, that's the kind of stuff we should be hearing in the VP debate. Whether it will be asked as a question is another matter....