In an answer to questions about her foreign policy experience ahead of tonight’s make-or-break vice presidential TV debate, her aides listed numerous contacts with foreign officials – including Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir Nigel Sheinwald.
However the meeting never occurred. Officials at the embassy swiftly contacted the McCain-Palin campaign to inform them of the discrepancy.
A British Embassy spokesman said the error arose after Sir Nigel’s name was listed among those who had attended a US Governor’s meeting in July.
Mrs Palin was at the meeting in her role as Governor of Alaska. However Sir Nigel pulled out at the last minute, leaving his name on the guest list.
Okay. We obviously know what’s going on, right? Palin’s handlers are trying to bolster her foreign policy bonafides and, lacking anything solid, they’re grasping. They realized there was a Governor’s meeting reception that Palin had attended, so they scoured the guest list, assuming that Palin had met every foreign dignitary present at that reception.
It’s been bad strategy from day one. From the date of Palin’s selection as the GOP VP nominee, they should have simply acknowledged her lack of foreign policy experience and argued why it doesn’t matter in the long run. That’s clearly a tough sell, but it would have been far more successful than for Palin and her handlers to attempt to "create" foreign policy experience out of thin air.