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Politics | 09/30/2008 10:00 am

New Yorker Spoofs Palin and Alaska's Proximity to Russia

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
The New Yorker

We definitely haven’t heard the end of the jokes about Sarah Palin using her state’s proximity to Russia as a boost to her foreign policy credentials.

Tina Fey (on SNL: "I can see Russia from my house!") is not the only one poking some fun at the Alaska governor for her repeatedly saying her executive experience as head of that state, and dealings with foreign neighbors (Canada and Russia) give more foreign policy weight to her resume. Now, The New Yorker is also weighing in.

The magazine’s latest cover features Palin looking through her window in Alaska with binoculars, trying to see Russia — or Russians.

Recently asked by "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric how that geographical proximity gives her foreign policy credentials, Palin responded: "Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of. And there …"

Couric: "Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?"

Palin: "We have trade missions back and forth, 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 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 our state."

In Fey’s latest spoof on John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate this past week on "Saturday Night Live," she took part in another skit with "SNL" regular Amy Poehler, who played Couric.

Poehler: "On foreign policy, I want to give you one more chance to explain your claim that you have foreign policy experience based on Alaska’s proximity to Russia. What did you mean by that?"

Fey: "Well, Alaska and Russia are only separated by a narrow maritime border (using her hands to illustrate). You got Alaska here, this right here is water, and this is Russia. So, we keep an eye on them."

Poehler: "And how do you do that exactly?"

Fey: "Every morning, when Alaskans wake up, one of the first things they do is look outside to see if there are any Russians hanging around. And if there are, you gotta go up to them and ask, ‘What are you doing here?’ and if they can’t give you a good reason, it’s our responsibility to say, you know, ‘Shoo! Get back over there!’"

74 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Brooklyn Gal
Well this cover is excellent satire because it used Palin’s own words to define her foriegn policy credentials unlike the Obama cover which played into the fears of uninformed Americans. Thank God for the Fey/Palin look alike.
By Brooklyn Gal on 09/30/2008 10:26 am
Steve R
Twice mocking words from “the right”. At least this time it works. Speaking of mocking, does anyone remember a movie called “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming”? Ah, Eva Marie Saint. Sigh.
By Steve R on 10/02/2008 1:09 pm
Eliza Dodd
Friends, Everyone said the bill would pass. The masters of the universe were already making celebratory dinner reservations at Manhattan’s finest restaurants. Personal shoppers in Dallas and Atlanta were dispatched to do the early Christmas gifting. Mad Men of Chicago and Miami were popping corks and toasting each other long before the morning latte run. But what they didn’t know was that hundreds of thousands of Americans woke up yesterday morning and decided it was time for revolt. The politicians never saw it coming. Millions of phone calls and emails hit Congress so hard it was as if Marshall Dillon, Elliot Ness and Dog the Bounty Hunter had descended on D.C. to stop the looting and arrest the thieves. The Corporate Crime of the Century was halted by a vote of 228 to 205. It was rare and historic; no one could remember a time when a bill supported by the president and the leadership of both parties went down in defeat. That just never happens. A lot of people are wondering why the right wing of the Republican Party joined with the left wing of the Democratic Party in voting down the thievery. Forty percent of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans voted against the bill. Here’s what happened: The presidential race may still be close in the polls, but the Congressional races are pointing toward a landslide for the Democrats. Few dispute the prediction that the Republicans are in for a whoopin’ on November 4th. Up to 30 Republican House seats could be lost in what would be a stunning repudiation of their agenda. The Republican reps are so scared of losing their seats, when this “financial crisis” reared its head two weeks ago, they realized they had just been handed their one and only chance to separate themselves from Bush before the election, while doing something that would make them look like they were on the side of “the people.” Watching C-Span yesterday morning was one of the best comedy shows I’d seen in ages. There they were, one Republican after another who had backed the war and sunk the country into record debt, who had voted to kill every regulation that would have kept Wall Street in check — there they were, now crying foul and standing up for the little guy! One after another, they stood at the microphone on the House floor and threw Bush under the bus, under the train (even though they had voted to kill off our nation’s trains, too), heck, they would’ve thrown him under the rising waters of the Lower Ninth Ward if they could’ve conjured up another hurricane. You know how your dog acts when sprayed by a skunk? He howls and runs around trying to shake it off, rubbing and rolling himself on every piece of your carpet, trying to get rid of the stench. That’s what it looked like on the Republican side of the aisle yesterday, and it was a sight to behold. The 95 brave Dems who broke with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were the real heroes, just like those few who stood up and voted against the war in October of 2002. Watch the remarks from yesterday of Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Dennis Kucinich. They spoke the truth. The Dems who voted for the giveaway did so mostly because they were scared by the threats of Wall Street, that if the rich didn’t get their handout, the market would go nuts and then it’s bye-bye stock-based pension and retirement funds. And guess what? That’s exactly what Wall Street did! The largest, single-day drop in the Dow in the history of the New York Stock exchange. The news anchors last night screamed it out: Americans just lost 1.2 trillion dollars in the stock market!! It’s a financial Pearl Harbor! The sky is falling! Bird flu! Killer Bees! Of course, sane people know that nobody “lost” anything yesterday, that stocks go up and down and this too shall pass because the rich will now buy low, hold, then sell off, then buy low again. But for now, Wall Street and its propaganda arm (the networks and media it owns) will continue to try and scare the bejesus out of you. It will be harder to get a loan. Some people will lose their jobs. A weak nation of wimps won’t last long under this torture. Or will we? Is this our line in the sand? Here’s my guess: The Democratic leadership in the House secretly hoped all along that this lousy bill would go down. With Bush’s proposals shredded, the Dems knew they could then write their own bill that favors the average American, not the upper 10% who were hoping for another kegger of gold. So the ball is in the Democrats’ hands. The gun from Wall Street remains at their head. Before they make their next move, let me tell you what the media kept silent about while this bill was being debated: 1. The bailout bill had NO enforcement provisions for the so-called oversight group that was going to monitor Wall Street’s spending of the $700 billion; 2. It had NO penalties, fines or imprisonment for any executive who might steal any of the people’s money; 3. It did NOTHING to force banks and lenders to rewrite people’s mortgages to avoid foreclosures — this bill would not have stopped ONE foreclosure!; 4. It had NO teeth anywhere in the entire piece of legislation, using words like “suggested” when referring to the government being paid back for the bailout; 5. Over 200 economists wrote to Congress and said this bill might actually WORSEN the “financial crisis” and cause even MORE of a meltdown. Put a fork in this slab of pork. It’s over. Now it is time for our side to state very clearly the laws WE want passed. I will send you my proposals later today. We’ve bought ourselves less than 72 hours. Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com
By Eliza Dodd on 09/30/2008 10:28 am
Ro H
Eliza; Thank you for the information. It is great! I am so proud of US! …”Now it is time for our side to state very clearly the laws WE want passed…”
By Ro H on 09/30/2008 10:21 pm
Marjorie C.
I wonder if the next New Yorker cover will feature President FDR talking the a TV audience about the 1929 stock market crash? That would be a funny one, too. Russians can be in American airspace in a heartbeat — that’s gotta count for something in Alaska. So where’s the joke?
By Marjorie C. on 09/30/2008 10:56 am
Tick Pyne
Guess what, Marjorie? In this day and age, anyone can be. This Palin-Russia “logic” is too ludicrous to even fathom. Where’s the joke? THERE’S the joke. By the way, I can see New Jersey across the Hudson River from New York City. Perhaps I’m qualified to govern New Jersey!
By Tick Pyne on 09/30/2008 11:54 am
Marjorie C.
Erica: Perhaps I’m qualified to govern New Jersey! Mmmm. I think your logic is a little skewed. Sarah Palin isn’t governor of Alaska because she can see another state. But, on the subject of being governor, this is her record (lifted from thedailystar.com): While governor, she managed 17,000 personnel and was responsible for a $9 billion budget. She was commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. She planned, promoted and successfully pushed through a project that represented the largest natural-gas line project ever approved in this country. I know the Obama campaign likes to demean her using the theory of every knock is a boost, but Sarah Palin, at 44 years old, has probably accomplished more than you or I ever will, and certainly more than Obama has.
By Marjorie C. on 09/30/2008 2:17 pm
Tick Pyne
Speak for yourself, dear. Not for me, please. And believe me, your claim is nothing to be proud of. You have no clue about what Obama can accomplish, but I very much hope that soon, you’ll have 8 years to find out. As for this ridiculous horse you insist on backing, Sarah Palin is an embarrassment, even to Republicans. Even you, with your consistently narrow-minded, blind, deaf and dumb loyalty that pops up on this blog all constantly, like measles, cannot stop that.
By Tick Pyne on 09/30/2008 3:56 pm
Ms. Dee
Aw, C’mon. Erica. Let’s not go spreading measles around this blog. It’s still a free country. This isn’t about right and wrong. This is about judgement.
By Ms. Dee on 09/30/2008 7:52 pm
Marjorie C.
Erica: Speak for yourself, dear. Not for me, please. I apologize, I didn’t realize you were governor of a state.
By Marjorie C. on 10/01/2008 6:31 am
Andromeda Jakes
Marjorie C I know you hate Obama and how successful he has been and is. But get real about Palin. Do you honestly think she “personally” accomplished the things you mentioned without a HUGE amount of help from those 17,000 state employees, including her husband who was not elected to office nor was he a govt employee. What nerve you have to demean what someone has or will accomplish. Obama is running for President of the USA and is African American. Get over it. It’s a MAJOR accomplishment.
By Andromeda Jakes on 10/01/2008 2:39 pm
gulliver fourmyle
well Madame—-you’re really ‘out-there’—-you think her pockets are not lined from a pipe-line? you compare a Senator of many millions to a known unstable guv of 700k?—-nothing may change tour mind—-unfortunate—-
By gulliver fourmyle on 10/01/2008 11:23 pm
Linda Mason
Hi Marjorie — Consider that I could go to the Observation Deck of the Sears Tower and see at least 4 other states (Wisc., Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and maybe others). Does that fact make me an expert on their affairs? Of course not! GObama!
By Linda Mason on 09/30/2008 9:18 pm
Marjorie C.
Hey Linda, I’ve got one even better than that, I can drive up to an observation tower in New Hampshire and see Canada, a foreign country. I can drive for ten minutes more and be in Canada. Wow !! Now how good is that. The difference between Canada and Russia is that Canada never postures and points its guns at us. Try to bear in mind, Gov. Palin is second on the ticket. If she were running for POTUS, her inexperience would worry me more, just as Obama’s inexperience concerns me. Staging a rock concert in Germany does not qualify as foreign experience either.
By Marjorie C. on 10/01/2008 6:42 am
Tick Pyne
Your naivete is mind-boggling, your reasoning so lame, it needs crutches. Considering that McPain is neither young nor healthy, um, er, don’t you think there is a reasonable chance that Number Two might become Number One? And then you’ll go: “OOPS!”?
By Tick Pyne on 10/02/2008 4:16 pm