Sarah's Surprise: Palin to meet world leaders at U.N. next week

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will meet in New York next week with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, among other world leaders scheduled to visit the United Nations annual autumn General Assembly Session.

She'll also meet with the president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

A spokesman for the McCain campaign confirmed the surprise visits tonight as well as hinted at as yet unannounced sessions between the Republican Party's surprise vice presidential pick and other foreign leaders.

The pick of Palin, a 44-year-old mother of five and popular head of the nation's largest state, and her well-received speech to a St. Paul audience and another 37+ million Americans watching on TV gave the GOP campaign a much-needed autumn boost.

The past week, however, much media attention shifted from the Palin hockey mom phenomenon to focus on the nation's troubled financial institutions.

Introductions by the well-traveled McCain of his running mate to numerous world leaders, they hope, are clearly designed to help draw voters' attention back to her, as well as to establish some photographic foreign policy creds, much the way their Democratic opponent Barack Obama traveled all the way to Paris to be photographed patting the French president on the back.

Palin's previous foreign trip was last year to visit Alaska National Guard soldiers in Kuwait and Germany.

Still, an Obama spokesman dismissed the Palin sessions as "a few meetings" and repeated the familiar campaign line that a McCain-Palin presidency would be a continuation of President Bush's "cowboy diplomacy."

--Andrew Malcolm

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[The Saracuda]

Is this "Take Your Daughter To Work Day?"

[When Pigs Fly]

Among the list of topics Sarah intends to discuss are...

If you could be any animal what animal would that be?

Who was your favorite Backstreet boy?

Did you know that baby seal tastes like chicken?

John and me are putting a little coalition together and...say, does your country have any oil?

[Alohaakamai]

It is no wonder that a rally opposing most of what she stands for is in the works at an upcoming stop. Her 'retreat and lose, advance and win' type oversimplification of the war is unthinkable for such a position at this time. Russia, Iran, Isreal and Iraq have already been slighted by her in a kind of uninformed Alaska-centric way. It's just plain embarrassing.

The democratic ticket now definitely trumps the experience card in terms of covering all options. Thank you for this article. We are being manipulated as she is being manipulated. I hope most women are intelligent enough to see it. Waving lipstick, doing soccer mom chants on the trail is just so nerdly at a time like this. Her continued diversionary finger waving at Mr. Obama for things inconsequential is syncopated and way off the pulse from what is happening in the world. She is only making her lack of know how more obvious -- a truly devastating void. I suggest rolling your eyeballs at Fox news for patronizing us all.

[Alohaakamai]

What a joke. Please John McCain spare us the antics. It only draws attention to her incomplete resume.

[Alohaakamai]

I bunch of grip and grin handshakes are going to convince us all that she can speak something other than Alaskan. The whole thing is simply maddening. I would be way more impressed if a young woman who has served tour after tour in Iraq should really have the priviledge to meet these leaders.

[MarkJ]

"Cowboy diplomacy?" Gee, as I recall, it was His Majesty Obama the First who declared just a few months ago that he was prepared to invade nuclear-armed Pakistan, come hell or high water.

Or has this inconvenient fact already been flushed down the Obamaton Memory Hole?

[Carol in Oregon]

This is the best thing to happen at the U.N. since John Bolton gave 'em heck.
I'm certain this amazing 21st Century American Woman will be a hit in those hallways just like she is across the heart of America.
And Sarah, give Ahmadinejad a kick in the shins while you're there, since Obama played politics on that worthy rally outside.

[hottpics]

That's OK - we have been a laughing stock for thelast 8 years a few more wont hurt.

What an embarrassment she is.

[anti-palin]

Can we really afford to have a religious zealot in the white house? These christians are always the most corrupt people in politics. Less than 1% of christians have actually read the bible, which is obvious, because it clear states a number of times that a person who follows the word of god can not be involved in political/state matters. It is against god's will and a sin. There is no scale of sin in the bible, all sins are equal and punishable by god in the exact same way. From homosexuality to unwed pregnancy, to practicing politics, to judging others, to working on the sabbath, to murder. Exactly the same weight. Yes, if you actually look into in the myth of the bible and take the time to read it you will be repulsed. A vote for Palin is the end of not just our country but perhaps the world...don't take my word for it, read about the end times in the bible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkXOwBIRX7Y

[Terri]

Where are Sarah Palin's tax returns? Oh that's right the dog ate them.

[jasperjava]

« Obama… who declared just a few months ago that he was prepared to invade nuclear-armed Pakistan, come hell or high water. »

Invade> Come hell or high water?

« Or has this inconvenient fact already been flushed down the Obamaton Memory Hole? »

Not a "fact", but a false factoid. The only hole I see is in YOUR memory…

[Ogre]

The comments are rather telling. Lots of childish remarks but no real substance. If you have a problem with her, state your reasons! Don't call her names as if you were on a grammar school playground. And when you make outlandish statements about Christians being corrupt, you need to back that up with some facts.

I'm not a republican and I'm not a Christian. Still, I'm disgusted by the lefts outlandish and repulsive antics.

[frenchlaw]

I love the "anti-palin" post. I have read the Bible, nowhere does it say that it is a sin for a Christian to be a politician. I love the Bible and I love people who try to live according to its precepts. Sometimes they (I) fail, but I still believe completely in the standard it sets.
I trust a GOOD person to be a political leader more than a SMART person. I believe that John McCain and Sarah Palin are GOOD people.
Defense, Life, Smaller Government, Freedom,

[SeanLA]

I'd rather have an all american mother running the country than an indoctrinated Alinsky disciple. Tell us more about the Annenburg grants!

[Jen Thalmann]

Fantastic! I love the way stories like this drives Obama's increasingly rabid supporters totally insane.

I'm sure Sarah will wow world leaders just as she did most of the nation since she came on the scene. Actually, I would love to see a meeting between Sarah and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.

Like Sarah, Merkel is a strong woman who rose to the top through hard work and decency. Not by whining about how hard it is to be a woman, preaching abortion, or by man-hating - behavior which seem to be a requirement among American feminists.

Jen Thalmann

[VJ Machiavelli]

It nice to know that Sarah the New Republican Terminator" will be meeting with World Leaders "RIGHT HERE IN THE USA" and not on a "Worldwide Photo Tour" with the national media in tow.

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com

[flyovercountry51]

REPLY TO ANTI-PALIN - What is quite obvious is that you are NOT a christian and not a nice human being. What we can't afford is THE MOST liberal politician in the history of the USA to become the leader of our country.
His deep-rooted connections with Bill Ayers and the likes, his big $$$ take with Lehman, his Chicago connections with criminals, his lack of respect for our country when visiting abroad, the list goes on and on. Your religious zealot comment simply is only showing your sheer ignorance of yourself and all like you. Please do us all a favor and seep back into your little LA hole and forget to vote - because you do not represent anything that is good and honorable for this great country. The Obama train is about to de-rail and you can't stop it. It is making you libs crazy that there are people left in this country that love and honor God and country. So, get your little friends together and throw a party for your Muslim friend Barrack and say 100 ah-lahs - !! You are going to need them all!

[Whoosy]

What's this I hear about Obama during his Iraq meeting that the Iraqis stall around so that US troops are not withdrawen until he becomes President. Isn't that illegal, I mean, after all, he's campaigning not leading. And furthermore, the repurcussions of his requesting a delay means USA soldiers lives. Will the liberal media report on that? Never, because they adolize Obama, and they are afraid of McCain/Palin because McCain/Palin would hold them accountable. The liberal media is oh, so bad for the USA, and so is Obama

[Jo]

It's been fun the last few weeks seeing Obama get rattled by a woman.

If he's rattled by a woman, imagine how much more he'd be rattled in a real crisis.

The country is laughing at Obama as we find out he and his Fannie Mae best friends are the biggest fraud ever to be stuffed down our throats by the mainstream media.

[Don Meaker]

I think, win or lose, Sarah has a great future. A few years as VP will help her resume, and as President of the Senate, she will be able to attack corruption at it's heart, the US Senate.

[kl]

"The whole thing is simply maddening."

But then, you had a head start.

"Can we really afford to have a religious zealot in the white house?"

I thought we weren't supposed to talk about Rev. Wright.

"Where are Sarah Palin's tax returns?"

Right next to Obama's medical records.

[OKOrge]

So what? What does this signify anything? She is not and cannot represent the US, yet. She does not and cannot convey any message, yet.

[milquetoast]

Well it's about time! I was getting tired of the Times and it's roundabout way of selling her as a joke and listening to O'Bama's overly snide remarks concerning an actual adult hero. He's sounding like a small stepchild and really seems to get overly excited when one of his little jokes comes off without a hitch! Too bad he's the one who is, as a freakish Charlie Rangle would say, a little 'disabled' when it comes to orating without his wittle campaign trail teleprompter! Some great communicator. At the very least, Sarah will meet and be a true representation of a strong, unappeasing American leader. I'm sure she can make friends with the best of them, but sometimes the world's best don't measure up. And she'll be able to deal with that garbage too- on pre-condition! Unlike this theoretical loser who doesn't seem to know how the real world works and wants to hop around the globe like a bunnyrabbit tossing flowers in enemy gunbarrels, SHE WON"T SELL THIS COUNTRY SHORT! You little children lining up down in Fairfax for Bill Mayer because you think he and Jon Stewart are current in their thinking better wake up. Sarah shouldn't be too concerned about meeting anyone. Instead, they should be prepared to meet her!

[Kathy from Kansas]

The anti-Palin hysterical rants are just laughable. The contention that this governor has no negotiation experience is 180 degrees opposite to the truth. On the hugely important natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48, Palin had the chutzpah (and the smarts) to call the bluff of three Big Oil companies, and forced them to deal with her on HER terms, not theirs. We're talking about companies whose GDP is bigger than that of most of the world's countries! Palin got concessions from them to benefit the people of her state. To get the pipeline going, she also had to negotiate among several governments, including the state government, the federal government, the Canadian federal government, several Canadian provincial governments, and several Native American nations (yes, they are sovereign nations) in both the U.S. and Canada.

Palin is in charge of not only the Alaska National Guard-- which means she has deployed troops to Iraq--but deals with the federal government in the operation of its most forward missile defenses, which are located in Alaska, and are one of the most critical elements of our national defense. Palin was President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors, Chair of the Alaska Gas and Conservation Commission, and Chair of the National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee. She is currently Chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which is an intergovernmental body comprising the governments of Alaska and several other states. As you can see, she has an impressive record of leadership positions in roles where she has to negotiate among multiple governments.

Barack Obama has no equivalent experience.

Those of you who try to make Palin out to be a demented religious zealot are saying nothing accurate about her, but revealing a lot about yourselves. A man who claimed Jeremiah Wright as his spiritual mentor, guide and "father figure" for 20 years is the one I worry about being a "religious zealot"! And look at what KIND of religion it is: a religion that says blacks are innately better than whites; America is innately bad; whites must be punished, and it's Obama's job to help God do just that!

[JinnyB]

The rabid leftist commenters just show us all how deep the rabbit hole really is - they're showing all the classic, nearly psychotic, symptoms of having been subjected to some seriously heavy cult-induced brainwashing. Palin Derangement Syndrome is far more applicable a term than people realize.

Remind me where in the constitution it states that only professional lawyers should be elected to office? Remind me what the professions were of the original founding fathers of this country? Remind me where in the constitution it states that people who have a belief in God aren't fit to be elected to office? Remind me again where it says "We the elitists"?

Frankly, this country would be a much nicer place if all the America haters would just move out and go live under one of those fascist states they so strongly feel we should be emulating.

Just a hint for you - there are two things that drive the lefties absolutely crazy:

1.) Completely ignore them - play their own MSM games back at them. This frustrates them to the point of making big mistakes.

2..) Laugh at them - this drives them so crazy that their heads almost explode - much like something out of "Mars Attacks". This is Newt Gingritch's favorite mind game to play on them...