Rubenerd

Sarah Palin seen here with John McCain opening Noah's Ark. Photo by Rachael Dickson on Wikipedia

It's another example of thinking a situation or person couldn't possibly get any worse, then realising that your error in judgement was bigger than a pair of pigs with lipstick. In the States this is old news already but I only just picked it up: the Vice Presidential nominee for the Republicans Sarah Palin claims the fact she can see Russia from her home in Alaska somehow gives her diplomatic experience with them.

From the Huffington Post's transcript of a televised interview:

COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land– boundary that we have with– Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was– kind of made to– cari– I don’t know, you know? Reporters–

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our– our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia–

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We– we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is– from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to– to our state.

I'm so glad I live in a country like Australia that has a Parliamentary system of government, meaning we vote for every single person we want in office. The Prime Minister can't appoint anyone he or she wants, only people who hold seats in electorates, and even if his or her party wins, if they lose their electoral seat they can't be PM. This also means technically we can't know for sure who the deputy PM will be until after elections and electorate votes are tallied.

It also means that we are completely immune from corruption and head smacking acts of stupidity in our elected officials.