Play all audios:
Before a friendly crowd at Colorado Christian University on Monday night, Sarah Palin lauded President George W. Bush for the killing of Osama bin Laden without mentioning President Obama’s
name a single time. Describing bin Laden as “the public face of Islamic terrorism,” Palin said American troops’ “courage and their determination brought us justice.” She went on to say, “We
thank President Bush for having made the right calls to set up this victory.”
As the Denver Post reported, Palin did get her jabs in at Obama and his administration. She criticized the president’s handling of the conflict in Libya for a “lack of clarity” and for
overreaching. “We can’t fight every war,” she said. “We can’t undo every injustice in the world. We don’t go looking for dragons to slay.”
Indeed, Palin’s speech came off as a platform for her to lay out foreign policy vision. Here’s more from Politico:
Still, Palin clearly stated a foreign policy philosophy that she says dates back to the Reagan administration—but in many ways came off as a five-point folksy version of the Powell Doctrine.
First, Palin said, “we should only commit our forces when clear and vital American interests are at stake. Period.” That point led to her second, dismissing nation-building as a “nice idea
in theory,” but not the “main purpose” guiding American foreign policy.
Palin continued down that track by insisting that a president must be able to articulate “clearly defined objectives” before foreign interventions—a standard she has recently Obama failed to
live up to in Libya. As her fourth point, Palin declared that “American soldiers must never be put under foreign command.”
Palin’s concluding statement deviated somewhat from ideology she had been espousing, as she stated that while “sending our armed forces should be our last resort…we will encourage the forces
of freedom in the world.” That last point is somewhat consistent with the non-interventionist ideology Palin has been growing fond of in recent weeks—but also provides her a clever escape
clause from her stated theory that has allowed her to criticize Obama for, as she has said, acting too slowly in Libya.
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends
to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.
No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes
to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real
difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.
“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends
to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.
No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes
to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real
difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.
Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.
Inexpensive, too! Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $19.95.
Award-winning photojournalism. Stunning video. Fearless conversations.
Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the truth-telling investigations we’re known for don’t happen under corporate ownership. We shine a bright light into the dark corners of power and report
the facts other media are afraid to touch.
The essential ingredient that makes this possible? Readers like you. Please stand with Mother Jones and make a donation today. These are dangerous times, and we’ve got a lot of hard,
consequential work to do. But we can’t do it without reader support.
We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the truth-telling investigations we’re known for don’t happen under corporate ownership. We shine a bright light into the dark corners of power and report
the facts other media are afraid to touch.
The essential ingredient that makes this possible? Readers like you. Please stand with Mother Jones and make a donation today. These are dangerous times, and we’ve got a lot of hard,
consequential work to do. But we can’t do it without reader support.