In St. Louis, MO, at the only Vice Presidential debate, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden traded talking points about U.S. foreign policy, with Biden winning on experience.
The October 2, 2008 Vice Presidential debate featured an international affairs expert prone to misspeaking vs. an inexperienced but confident governor whose main foreign policy credential to this point is Alaska's geographical proximity to Russia. Though Palin reiterated McCain's record and positions, Biden outplayed her with his grasp of details and specific policy prescriptions.
Analysis: An Issue-By-Issue Summary
Both candidates shared their opinions about the hottest foreign policy issues today - the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran, nuclear weapons, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On Iraq, Biden declared his unabashed rejection of the Bush Doctrine, the policy position Palin infamously couldn't articulate in her interview with Charles Gibson a few weeks ago. However, Palin cut ties with the Bush administration, mentioning the "blunders" of the past eight years, reprimanding Biden for dwelling on the past while she and McCain forge ahead. She also emphasized McCain's support for the surge, even when Biden responded that McCain opposed funding the troops when tied to a timetable.
Palin argued for a troop surge in Afghanistan, similar to the one in Iraq, but Biden used the statement of the U.S. commanding general in Afghanistan against her - that he opposed a similar surge. Palin responded that the surge principles would remain the same, but the strategy would differ. It was the only time Biden seemed disoriented during this part of the debate.
On Iran, the candidates, like their principals, minced words - preconditions vs. preparations, presidential summits vs. low-level talks - and neither accurately explained the other ticket's positions. However, Biden said he saw no difference between McCain's and Bush's policies.
On nuclear weapons, both candidates agreed that Iran's nuclear ambitions threaten stability in the region. Palin also mentioned nuclear energy - perhaps a nervous mistake, but might also indicate she and McCain make no distinction between energy and weapons. Biden called Iran's nuclear ambition and Pakistan's nuclear possession "game-changers."
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden again shredded Bush's policy, calling it an "abject failure." He recalled how he and Obama opposed Bush's proposal for holding elections in the West Bank. Palin named the two-state solution as the best strategy but offered no specific plan for how to achieve it. Besides the Iraq war, this is perhaps the most important issue in the Middle East, and up until a couple years ago, the current administration kept it on the back burner.
Biden: Experience on Senate Foreign Relations Committee Gives Him the Edge
Biden emphasized the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan as the central front in the war on terror, not Iraq. He talked about direct diplomacy with Iran and how the theocracy controls the "security apparatus." He also ridiculed McCain for refusing to sit down with the government of Spain. Finally, he pointed out his involvement with the crisis in the Balkans in the mid-90's as one of the most active senators to support U.S. intervention and engagement. To her credit, Palin did not mention Russia again - but Biden's experience set him apart on foreign policy issues.
Sources:
"Governor Palin: The Interview." September 15, 2008. ABC News Video
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