(CNN) - A tweet by Sarah Palin attacking the U.S. State Department for a tweet to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his birthday distorted the State Department's original intent, a spokesman for the department said Friday.
"My tweet was simply to suggest that a reasonable celebration of President Ahmadinejad's birthday would be to release Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. I can't imagine why Sarah Palin would object to the release of the two hikers who remain in custody, we think inappropriately," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in response to a question about Palin's criticism.
This morning the State Department retweeted Crowley's original tweet in which he said, "Happy birthday President #Ahmadinejad. Celebrate by sending Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer home. What a gift that would be. #Iran."
Palin said on her Twitter account, "Happy B'day Ahmadinejad wish sent by US Govt. Mind boggling foreign policy: kowtow & coddle enemies; snub allies. Obama Doctrine is nonsense."
She added in a second tweet, "Americans awaken 2 bizarre natl security thinking of Obama Admn: Ahmadinejad b'day greeting after call 4 Israel's destruction speaks volumes."
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are two of three hikers who were detained by Iran after allegedly straying into Kurdistan while hiking the Iraq-Iran border in September 2009. The third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail due to a medical condition in September; Bauer and Fattal remain jailed in Tehran's Evin prison.
Iran has accused the three of spying, a charge the United States and the hikers have denied. The State Department has asked for the hikers to be released on numerous occasions.
From CNN Politics
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I would not worry too much about Palin's criticism. The ladies 15 should have been up 24 months ago. A dumb as she is, she cannot last much longer.
"Kowtow"????
Looks like Ms. Palin got her hands on a Thesaurus!
I'm willing to bet she didn't know the meaning of the word before she spent all day working on her tweet.
She's a fool and an idiot.
Can we just trade Palin and Angle for the two hikers?
Palin is a moron who will use ANY reason to try and make herself relevant. I guess she believes that a call to release two Americans is bizarre. Palin should stick to watching Russia from her porch and leave foreign policy to those who can at least read and comprehend 140 characters.
If any Republican wished that man a happy bday 4 any reason at all, the left wud crap their pants and come down on them. u knw it. i knw it. now bask in the hypocrisy displayd above and below my comment. how naive is that state dpt tweet anyway, dang!
BECAUSE SARAN PALIN DON"T KNOW WHAT SHE TAKING ABOUT. And she like sticking her nose in something she don't know want going on. Plus did I for get to tell you she a IDIOT.
Please go away, go away, or speak on something you know about. Oh wait a minute. You don't know anything.
Idiot
Palin should stay away from foreign policy.
She is obviosly not smart enough to understand it and makes a fool of herself once again.
Also her using this "tweet" by Crowley to attack President Obama is pathetic.
Go back to Alaska you tweeting twit and let the intelligent adults handle international affairs!
Palin would hate to see thses two hikers released because if that was to happen, President Obama and Sec. of State Clinton might get some credit for it. And we all know its election time and to Palin, if any good news thats might be seen as a positive light on the democrats would be something palin would not tolerate. She would rather see these two young Americans kept in jail until a republicasn president is elected, no matter how long that may take. To Palin these two americans are pawns in her scheme. Either way, I still thought it was funny how the State Department tried to use his b/day day as way to get these hikers released, interesting. Maybe now we should invade Iran over two hikers and pretend its about WMDs, again...
Go figure, Palin reads the first line of something and she thinks she understands it...I find it truly amazing that anyone still listens to anything she says!
Sarah Palin is a nut job.
Why she saying anything she not in charge of anything,nothing.
The stoopid is appauling here. Palin either doesn't bother to read the entirety of the State Department's original tweet or purposefully distorts it for her own sleazy means. Either way, is this someone we even want to consider for the presidency some day? Any day?
Palin needs to STFU and mind her own business! This poor excuse for an idiot has really let the coddling and adulation bestowed upon her by inferior minds get to that space between her ears, and now she feels quite righteous and qualified to delve into forign policy issues.
For someone who professes to CARE about others so much this freaking no-wit goon in lipstick does not give one fig about the release of these hikers. It is all about Sarah, and screw everyone else.
Great job CNN in helping to create this Frankenstein that you continue to saddle us with.
And since when did Palin acted/said anything AFTER doing some research aboutwhat she was going to act/say about?
Ms Palin u are by far the most inept politician in history. Next time try reading the whole message before answering.
There must be nothing else to do in Alaska once the summer season is over. Everyone inside!
Why in the world is PJ Crowley conducting foreign policy on Twitter? Palin was right to call State out on this.
That should be FOREIGN not forign. Speed typing.....
Shut up, shut up, shut up. Why in God's green earth should we care what Palin thinks? She's a blowhard and ought to have no iimpact on our political process. We're handing the keys to the kingdom to the village idiots.
Is this what we could expect from a President Palin? She reads messages partially and distorts them to her own political agenda? I think Karl Rove got it right this week when he said that Sarah Palin doesn't have the gravitas to be President. Every time she tweets or writes something on Facebook, she confirms what her critics say about her. In this information age, it does one well to remember these words of wisdom:
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Commonly attributed to Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (in case Ms. Palin doesn't know who he was)
WOW, Thanks Sarah Palin for standing up for the hickers.........I thank God you are NOT in the White House
Sarah Palin is a mental midget.
Some missing background is pertinent, the State Department needs to clarify for the general public. In Iran, prisoners have historically been pardoned on the leader's birthday. It's tradition, it had been their custom for decades and perhaps centuries. The State Department is operating with this understanding of Iranian history and culture. Sarah Palin likely doesn't know the first thing about Iranian history and culture, much less Iranian/American relations. She is extremely arrogant in thinking she should comment about this at all.
Every possible strategy is being used to secure the release of these young Americans, and I am sure their families are grateful. Even a public request in the form of a tweet was worth trying, in the context of Ahmedinejad's birthday today.
I think Palin has lost her mind. She needs to be on medication. I think she is bi-polar. She is upset becase her tea party people are losing and being rejected by sane Americans.