Sarah Palin: horseperson of the apocolypse

I was going to leave it a few days before posting on the US election again, but that damn Sarah Palin wont let me. Give her credit where it's due, just a couple of weeks ago the election was all about whether you liked Obama or not, with McCain basically being the other dude that people might end up voting for if not convinced about 'our Barack'.

This is by no means a bad thing in itself. Obama can't carry the weight of expectations alone without some sort of comparison to the opposition, as a healthy reminder about just how different the two camps genuinely are. However, although I like Palin's ability to get the Republicans in the news in exactly the way to drive those only tempted by Obama directly into his camp, I don't think advocating widespread death and destruction is entirely helpful, at this juncture, in East West relations.

I speak, of course, about her remarks that war with Russia might be a spiffing idea. Displaying exactly the attitude that has led to such a catastrophic policy in Iraq, Palin said "I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink. You have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink."

Sorry to contradict you Sarah but people who don't blink are sociopaths and should not be given nuclear weapons. Assessing a situation and changing your tactics to suit is actually a strength and not the work of the devil. You know that huge pile of bodies littered over the Middle East? You know all those coffins draped in the Stars and Stripes? That's because Bush doesn't know how to blink. Christ, even David Cameron understands this.

In her first TV interview since accepting the VP candidacy (which is interesting in itself) she "supported military action against Islamist extremists in Pakistan even without the support of the Islamabad government."

"Asked whether Nato membership would commit the US to going to war on behalf of Ukraine and Georgia if they were attacked, Palin said: "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a Nato ally. If another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help. What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a large power is something for us to be vigilant against.""

That's right folks. War with Russia. Because America just isn't fighting on enough fronts right now? Because taking on a nuclear power gives you that frisson of excitement? Will there be a nuclear holocaust, wont there, ooooh, it's like a roller coaster isn't it! Except with corpses everywhere obviously. And no blinking.

This is a mirror image of Putin's remarks and they do not give us much hope that there will be a peaceful settlement of the differences in the region. I think there are actually quite a few people that have sympathy with his remarks when he said "They attacked South Ossetia with missiles, tanks, heavy artillery and ground troops. What were we supposed to do?... We punched the aggressor in the face, as all the military text books prescribe."

I believe Sun Tzu actually recommends a strategy of avoiding military conflict altogether, but let's let that slide for the moment, you go with your face punching macho man.

In order to justify the massive loss of life she seems to crave she wants Georgia to be awarded the status of Nato ally, which Russia has already said would be an act of aggression in itself. Palin isn't just Bush II, Bush was the Palin prototype, before they removed all the soft fluffy edges and love of foreign cultures. Palin makes Bush look freaking nuanced as at least he hasn't yet started World War III out of pure idiocy.

The FT reports that Palin said “But what Abraham Lincoln had said... was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God’s side.”

Do you know what? If bringing on the end of the world is wrong I guess she just doesn't want to be right. You just never know if that's what Jesus would do, do you? Blink.