More excerpts have been released from Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric, this time on the topic of foreign policy. These things take on the feeling of a soldier maneuvering through a minefield, and Palin more or less avoids any major mistake when discussing why the war in Afghanistan has become such a hard slog. But her reference to Osama bin Laden as "such a leader of this terrorist movement," does have the potential to become a cultural mainstay.
"The logistics that we are already suggesting here, not having enough troops in the area right now," Palin said. "The... things like the terrain even in Afghanistan and that border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where, you know, we believe that-- Bin Laden is-- is hiding out right now and... and is still such a leader of this terrorist movement. There... there are many more challenges there. So, again, I believe that... a surge in Afghanistan also will lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq. And as I say, Katie, that we cannot afford to retreat, to withdraw in Iraq. That's not gonna get us any better off in Afghanistan either. And as our leaders are telling us in our military, we do need to ramp it up in Afghanistan, counting on our friends and allies to assist with us there because these terrorists who hate America, they hate what we stand for with the... the freedoms, the democracy, the... the women's rights, the tolerance, they hate what it is that we represent and our allies, too, and our friends, what they represent. If we were... were to allow a stronghold to be captured by these terrorists then the world is in even greater peril than it is today. We cannot afford to lose in Afghanistan."
This portion will air on CBS tonight. In the first part, which aired Wednesday evening, Palin had a bit more trouble discussing John McCain's history (or lack thereof) of pushing for greater regulation of the markets. Asked for specifics, she replied: "I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you."
Couric, nevertheless, offered Palin some praise, saying this morning that her guest was "confident, cool calm and collected under difficult circumstances." But, she added, the vice presidential nominee was "not always responsive when she answers questions and falls back to her talking points."