(CNN) – Sarah Palin did not visit troops in Iraq, a spokesperson for the Republican VP nominee confirmed Saturday, as new details emerged about the extent of the Alaska governor’s foreign travel.
In July of last year, Palin left North America for the first time to visit Alaskan troops stationed in Kuwait. Palin officials originally said her itinerary included U.S. military installations or outposts in Germany and Kuwait, and that she had visited Ireland. An Alaska spokeswoman for Palin had said Iraq was also one of the stops on that trip.
The Boston Globe reported Saturday that Palin visited the Iraqi side of a border crossing - but never journeyed past the checkpoint.
Earlier: McCain defends Palin's experience level
Earlier, campaign aides confirmed reports that Palin’s time in Ireland on that trip had actually been a re-fueling stop.
(UPDATED with campaign statement after the jump)
The Obama camp – which has increasingly accused the McCain campaign of deliberately lying in ads and on the stump – was quick to highlight to that story, along with a news report that explored whether the McCain campaign have been sending out wildly inflated crowd estimates.
The McCain team has twice pointed to law enforcement as the source for those estimates – but the same officials denied to Bloomberg News that they had provided the numbers cited by the Republican nominee’s campaign.
"The McCain campaign said Governor Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, but now we know she supported it,” said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor in a statement. “They said she didn't seek earmarks, but now we know she hired a lobbyist to get millions in pork for her town and her state. They said she visited Iraq, but today we learned that she only stopped at the border. Americans are starting to wonder, is there anything the McCain campaign isn't lying about?”
A Palin spokesperson also confirmed Saturday that the governor had visited Mexico on a personal vacation trip. She has also visited Canada.
UPDATE: The McCain-Palin campaign issued a statement late Saturday in which they said Palin had traveled into Iraq, although she did not go beyond the border crossing:
"Last summer, Governor Palin travelled to Kuwait where she visited Alaskan National Guard troops deployed to the war in Iraq at Camp Arifjen. While she was there she travelled to the K Crossing on the Kuwait-Iraq border, and a quarter mile into Iraq. According to the General who travelled with her, while she was there she presided over a re-enlistment ceremony of an Alaskan National Guard soldier. En route back to the United States, she travelled to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. While in Germany, Governor Palin visited wounded soldiers at the Landstuhl military hospital. She then returned home. She has also visited Canada, as well as Mexico for a vacation."
From CNN Politics
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The mention of Iraq just the border, makes my blood boil. All soldier's those that died, those that come home with missing body parts, those that come home with broken hearts and minds of confusion. I recall the report on Walter Reed Hospital a filthy place of horrific conditions, this is where we bring our injured soldiers, we Americans..
D.Claire
Figures. How does this work. The more lies they tell, the more stupid people believe and they win?! I'm beginning to doubt her real name is Sarah.
OBAMA 08
Let's just get use to it.
Everything Palin says is a lie.
Let's also make sure that she does not enter our White House.
A very bad place to lie.
Wake up America
I hope that you got my last comment. It was pretty long and didn't show up in my browser after submitting it.
Quite interesting...No experience at all.
Sarah Palin is an insult to the sacrifices women have made to gain more acceptable gender equality. We still have much to do, By her own admission Palin benefited from Title IX. But what has she contributed to 'walking the walk'? Aligning herself with McCain is unbridled personal ambition that mocks those of us who work hard to survive on a level playing field. We don't hide behind retro hair, heavy make-up, a shrill voice, brazen winks, and pointed finger. We're confident that we understand issues. We don't need retro props. Nor does Obama need a retro prop. Biden is out, front and center, alone. McCain needs his retro prop because, well, McCain is retro. What a sad, sad situation.
OH! Great!!
Let us see that McShame and his company of LIERS are going to say for this report. It is disgusting to hear more and more about the President in heart beat away. Wake up America. It is time to ACT now!
Wow, such Morals Mizz Palin. But this does not surprise me in the least. This is a woman who thinks that sex is a sin, and semi-automatic weapons are wonderful to have in the home of every American family. Hummmm . . . sounds a little screwey to me.
I am so relieved that Obama has a strong lead in the electoral college polls. But, this election should not be this close. Hopefully people will watch the debates to help educate themselves before they vote. I am a white female that originally supported Hillary. I now support Obama, who shares the same exact values that Hillary does. I am doing my best in my small community to spread the word. Take your blinders off, and don't be fooled into voting for McCain. Seems that some of these bloggers have tunnel vision when it comes to McCain. They refuse to think outside the very small box they've confined themselves to. If you can't think outside the box, how are you ever going to "change" anything? McCain is also not thinking outside the box. He thinks that the economy is great, just like Bush does. Nothing will change if he is elected.
how can anyone vote for mcain or palin they are such a lier.
IF SHE WAS A PERSON OF COLOR WHETHER ASIAN-AMERICAN, HISPANIC, ARABIC, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICANS OR AFRICAN AMERICANS; WHITE AMERICA WOULD BE OUTRAGED AND THERE WOULD NOT BE EVEN A DOUBT ABOUT THE ELECTION. BECAUSE SHE IS WHITE SHE IS TREATED WITH KID GLOVES, PROTECTED AND EVEN IDOLIZED. JUST LIKE WHITE AMERICA HAS DONE FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS, THEY WILL AGAIN DESTROY THE U.S.
why can't they just tell the truth, see how can u trust her, PEOPLE PLEASE WAKE UP...................DON'T BE A FOOL, AND FALL FOR THIS
This is truly outrageous, why is the mccain camp allowed to blantantly lie about this woman and her experience when they know good and well she is not qualified to be vp.
This is the scariest thing I've ever seen, mccain is so desperate to win that he is potentially putting his country in danger. I, for one, do not want to see us go to war with Russia or anyone else for that matter. This whole campaign of mccain's is a total sham. I don't think he gives a damm about any of us
OF COUSE SHE DIDN'T!!!! NEVER ASUME WITH PALIN. IT IS BEST TO WAIT OUT WHATEVER SHE SAYS TO SEE WHAT THE REAL TRUTH IS.
MY 14 YEAR OLD SON HAS MORE FOREIGN TRAVEL UNDER HIS BELT THAN PALIN!!
I AM SO GLAD SHE IS BACK ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. WE'LL SEE HOW QUICKLY SHE FALLS APART NOW, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR HER. SHE WAS LAST WEEKS CELEBRITY,.
IT'S TIME FOR THE OBAMA CAMP TO PUT THE SCREWS TO THE MCCAIN/PALIN TICKET. EXPOSE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE, CHEAPSHOT LIARS.
I have watched and read for several days about Governor Palin. When will the media tell the truth. This person is not ready to be vice president and has lied (there I said it) about almost everything in her resume. It is time that the media took responsiblity for making sure the American voter knows the truth and just not some made up story by a political party. Please tell the facts and stop all the side stories that have nothing to do with the platform and policy of the parties. One only has to look at both of the polictical parties platform and know that Senator McCain and Governor Palin, are not telling the truth about how they would governor this nation.
Lies, lies and more lies. ENOUGH.
Apparently "John Bush" and "D.C." Palin really are running for a third term.
Obama sends his "wolves" into Alaska, and this is the best he could come up with. Now lets watch him deny that he had anything to do with this coming out.
she Lies about everything, send her back to alaska!
Not ready for Capital dog catcher position.
She is a liar and so is her boss, McShame.
If voters can't see that this lady is a Trojan horse created by the McCain campaign that contains nothing but problems and is on almost every account a clear fraud..... then we are all in trouble, McCain-Palin are RNC cue card readers not reformers
McCain and Palin are well suited to run together, they are both liars. Truth must be an inconvenience for them. Palin and the McCain campaign claimed Gov. Palin had visited Iraq. When the Boston Globe disproved this claim...the McCain spokesman she never actually set foot in Iraq. McCain said Palin is the most knowledgeable person about energy in the country. There is nothing in her education, experience that would indicate she has nothing more than a very superficial knowledge about oil and gas. Ask her what the UNOCAL gas plants on the Kenai peninsula are producing. She won't know (answer: anhydrous ammonia and urea). Ask her the name of the vessel that transports the NH3 to the CONUS. She won't know. (answer: M/V Cornucopia). Sarah Palin is not exactly an energy expert. Her husband, Todd, sits on meetings in the Governor's office and lobbies on behalf of energy companies. The question that Palin's staffers regularly ask themselves is, "what would Todd think?". Is this the qualified candidate that has the experience to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? No way, no how!
It is funny. Now the truth is beginning to sip out. It does not seem like there is any truth to her resume so far. I am waiting to see what else is false.
How many lies are they going to tell. I know this is the political season and everyone stretches here and there but is her name really Sarah Palin. I mean what is going to come out next. This is getting ridiculous.
Here is another LIE – come on CNN! Why are you letting them get away with all these LIES. They are laughing in American's faces, or maybe so clueless they don't know the difference between the truth and a lie. It is so upsetting.
Energetically Wrong
September 12, 2008
Palin says Alaska supplies 20 percent of U.S. energy. Not true. Not even close.
Palin claims Alaska "produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy." That's not true.
Alaska did produce 14 percent of all the oil from U.S. wells last year, but that's a far cry from all the "energy" produced in the U.S.
Alaska's share of domestic energy production was 3.5 percent, according to the official figures kept by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
And if by "supply" Palin meant all the energy consumed in the U.S., and not just produced here, then Alaska's production accounted for only 2.4 percent.
Hummmmmm
Another lie? Buyer beware. I think the first thing either winning candidate should do is institute a better education system (e.g. civics courses), because we are so dumb and so entrenched on popularity and good looks that we let one of the candidates make a dumb choice and pick a rabbit out of his hat as a running mate, and if he wins (and he very well may), then we've got a wacko liar as our president.
Eduction in 08'