(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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Heck....Is that all the credentials you need these days to run for Vice President? My guy has travelled to over half of Europe, all over North America etc, does that mean he knows a thing or two about foreign politics? Yes! now i can stick next to my guy in his run for the white house in four years...
How can you not know where you have been? This is a blagrant lie...intent to mislead the Americans. Now we find out she didn't go to Ireland...only for a fuel stop? Why the lie on that? I have lost more trust in her.
Liar, liar Dress on fire!
Palin can not be put in a high position. You undecide voters need to look up on the internet who J. McCain really is, there is one video on youtube from back in the day where he call a women testifying before congress a B&t#$ and a W*&^#. Are you kiddin me!!
What else are they lying about? Americans, wake up. If all these lies were coming from the Obama camp there would be an uproar. This is just to show how racist this country is.
What a liar!!!!!!.....whats next?
Wow! Gov. Palin is quite the world traveler....Kuwait, Mexico and Canada..oh and she stopped once for fuel in Ireland....let's see I've been to Japan, Thailand, Cuba, Spain, Indonesia, China, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Wales, United Kingdom. I have more Foreign Policy experience than she does!!
When I was in the Air Force, I was deployed to Saudi Arabia for 6 months. I deployed to Iraq for 5 months. I was stationed in South Korea for a year, and on Okinawa for 2 years. Additionally, on the different trips and flights I took from base to base, I had refueling stops or layovers in Ireland, England, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and Taiwan.
By McCain standards, I'm a foreign policy expert qualified to be vice president.
I continue to be insulted as a woman and an American that John McCain picked this woman to be his running mate. He must think that all of us are ignorant, not just the Walmart moms.
Dick Cheney in a skirt!
There are no lies here. I've travelled more than Obama and Palin put together. perhaps I should be the candidate for president or Vice President. I think not!
I've visited Mexico and Canada too...and a number of other countries!!! Guess what? I also lie sometimes. Does that make me qualified to be the Vice Presidential nominee too?
It is obvious that the media is sooooooo in lust with this female, that she will lie her way into the White House. Johnny better look out. She is too sneaky to be put back in the bottle.
It seems to me CNN has become quite enamored with Sara Palin–covering her as you might cover Britney or Paris. Be the coverage for or against, I am tired of hearing her name all day in every context–her background...her daughter...her infant son...her military son...her former life...how she does the mom thing...and on and on. It is like reading People magazine. What happened to the two presidential candidates?
I can always tell when Palin is lying.......her lips are moving.
You know, you can SEE Russia from Alaska. Don't see no NUKES.
MORE LIES, I WAS WATCHING CNN PALIN REVEALED AND THEY SAID THAT SHE ACTUALLY ELOPED WITH HER HUSBAND AND APARENTLY SHE WAS PREGNANT WHEN SHE GOT MARRIED.
THIS IS WHAT THE REPUBLICANS WANT. A PERSON THAT LOVES TO KILL ANIMALS....WAS PREGNANT WHEN SHE GOT MARRIED..HOW CAN SHE EXPECT MORE FROM HER DAUGHTER WHEN SHE MADE THE SAME MISTAKE TOO.
Wow... More is yet to come..
so?
The same old republican party, try to smear the oppisition, and lie about a vice-presidential candities national securitry experience. They always have wanted it both ways.
I never heard her say she had been to Iraq? Mexico, Canada and Kuwait was all I heard.
It would be nice if we could trust her to tell the truth. How are we supposed to make an educated decision with all the lies being slashed about.
The Republicans credibilty is being reduced to ashes. The garbage that they are airing is so intensely and obviously false that I cannot fathom that any thinking voter is going to believe anything they say anymore.
Actually, the funniest part of this story to me was the fact that they tried to say that she had visited Ireland, when it turns out that she was there only for a refueling stop! I guess that gives her expert qualifications on the energy economy in Europe.
This is like a bad dream.
I wish everybody would stop making moutains out of molehills. The important thing is that the Governor visited the troops in Germany and Kawait. She went to Iraq but only to the border. So??
Obama hasn't exactly been the example of going to Iraq and Afganistan now has he? He had to be prodded to go on the last trip by Senator McCain who rightly pointed out that it had been months since he had gone; yet, he was back home commenting on the surge and its failure like he had been there weekly!
So Sarah Palin will travel and learn once they are elected. She will bring a breathe of fresh air to foreign countries. They will be glad to have a woman to deal with who is just a strong as Margaret Thachter was or Golden Mier.
Laura, Boston, MA
Seriously...is anyone suprised by this continued fact stretching (a.k.a. lying) anymore? This has become par for the course with McCain and Palin.
What a sad statement about we Americans that nearly half of us would rather believe these lies even when they are proven wrong and continue to support the lying politicians. What would make us think that they'd be any more authentic if they actually ran the country?
Absolute power corrupts. And, in Palin and McCain's case, it would seem that the pursuit of power does too!