Commanding Alaska's Guard w/ 24/7 missile defense
Posted By Uncle Jimbo
One area of Sarah Palin's background that may help her is Alaska's unique role in our national security and homeland defense. Several folks have have mentioned this but Tom W. was specific and his info jibes with the record.
Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It’s on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.
As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's.
She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.
Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.
According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.
She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is.
I agree with that assessment except for the thought that her access to classified material may rival Biden's. Highly unlikely as Biden's seat on the Foreign Relations committee would expose him to information on a very wide array of topics. But her experience in keeping the homeland safe fits perfectly with her image as the competent American woman.It's not the same as having your finger on the button, but it a heckuva lot closer than Biden or Barry O has ever been.
It will be tremendous fun to watch a couple of complete political tools like the Hope&Change duo attempt to attack a record of substance not words, a record of action not bloviation, a record of kicking ass and taking names against what now.......?
Soldiers of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion defend America from an intercontinental ballistic missile threat 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while maintaining competency in all warrior tasks. (Photo by Sgt. Jack W. Carlson III, Unit Reporter, 49th Missile Defense Battalion.)
U.S. Northern Command brought the 100th Missile
Defense Brigade (Ground-Based Midcourse Defense) to
operational level for the first time in response to the July
2006 North Korean missile crisis. Previously maintained
in test mode, the brigade, headquartered at Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and its 49th Missile Defense Battalion
(Ground-Based Missile Defense) at Fort Greely, Alaska,
remained at high alert status for the duration of the crisis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 31, 2008 • Permalink
Categories and Tags: Current Affairs • Technorati Links
Technorati Tags:
Subscribe to this feed • Email this • Add to del.icio.us • Digg This! • Share on Facebook • Stumble It! (1 Reviews) • Save to del.icio.us (2 saves) • Technorati Links
Comments
Oh, they're doing an attack on her from a different angle right now. All over the blogosphere... launching a rumor that the baby is her daughter's and not hers.
I cannot believe anyone would try to get away with something like that in this day and age.
Kind of scary to see the depths Kos will go to in order to discredit someone.
Posted by: Deltabravo | August 31, 2008 at 10:46 AM
DB...They are such a "tolerant" group! C'mon, now. You KNOW that if it were Obama's grandkid, they would be giving him a second sainthood for raising the kid and all that.
Palin's actions back who she is. I'll back her as long as she sticks to her guns.
Posted by: defendusa | August 31, 2008 at 11:08 AM
"My MOOSE is cooked".
Great Reader KIM Jong IL
Tanks Uncle JimBlow for the info! KJI & JG
Posted by: JihadGene | August 31, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Governor Palin looks to have really taken the air out of the Obama "bounce" post convention. But there's a bigger effect, which people are missing. The biggest winner(s) in the Sarah Palin selection are actually Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Look at it this way: Obama gave away the store at the Convention for the first 2 days to give Hillary & Bill their due, and then get them on the shelf, to be used if needed on the road, in a carefully controlled environment. But any actions they took post convention would be carefully directed by the Obama folks. No opportunity for any Clinton freelancing. In simple terms, they had to come to the Obama folks for permission, not the Obama folks coming to them.
That all just changed - Hillary and Bill are back to being players, and needed players at that. The Obama folks now need Hillary and Bill.
The Obama folks don't really think that Sarah Palin can pull large numbers of those Hillary voters, but there's always that "WHAT IF" out there, and if she can make inroads, you've only got a little more than 60 days to counter (and it will be 2-3 weeks before you really know) - so you can't take the risk of doing little, if anything. The Obama folks are going to have to get Hillary and Bill back out there (and the "Clinton price tag" just went up considerably), and then run the risk of Clinton freelancing. And it's a pretty good bet this is going to piss off Joe Biden.
That Obama strategy room is going to become a pretty tough place: Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, David Axelrod, and a host of others, many with a differing POV. Life just got harder.
Posted by: Ghost of Habu, The Pit Viper | August 31, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Ghost of Habu,
Let's not forget the multitude of conservatives who sat on the sidelines, now energized and poised to donate to McCain's campaign. If I were a betting man I'd say he'll be raising a few more bushels of cash over the next few weeks.
Posted by: Jeff | August 31, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Can we please be more objective about her? She seems to be a good person but a minor league politician, and might have risen to stardom within the party given proper time and development. But right now, she has neither the character nor the capabilities to be in the same arena with the other three candidates. There had to be 20 other picks that were more qualified and stronger leaders on McCain's long list. He did not follow his 'country first' mantra in making this reckless choice.
blackfive.net |
