Potential Presidents Travel: Sarah, Michael Palin Have More in Common than a Surname

September 14, 2008 at 1:00 PM | by Victor Ozols | 2 Comments

Much has been made of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's remark that she has special foreign policy insight into Russia because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska," but it was one of the few demonstrably true statements in her bumbling recent interview with ABC newsman Charlie Gibson. No, not the foreign policy insight part, that's silly, but there is a small island off the coast of Alaska where only four kilometers, the Bering Strait, and the International Date Line separate it from a similarly remote Russian island (pictured).

Internetters were quick to zero in on Little Diomede Island, Alaska, where, on a clear day, the 150-odd residents of Diomede Town can see the uninhabited island of Big Diomede, Russia. Heck, in the dead of winter, when the sea turns to ice, they can walk there.

Little Diomede doesn't get too many visitors other than the odd extreme traveler and former Monty Python cast member Michael Palin, but it does provide a home to the Bering Straight Environmental Observatory. There, researchers sample ocean water to test for changes in salinity, nutrient content, and temperature, and perform tests on marine mammal tissues as well.

We have no idea if Sarah Palin has ever paid a visit to Little Diomede, but might recommend a weekend getaway. Not to bone up on foreign policy, but to confer with scientists on the extent of global warming in our own country.

[photo: TREC]

Related Stories:
· Palin's Foreign Policy Cred Illustrated [The Reaction]
· Aboard the Healy [TREC]
· Little Diomede Island, Bering Strait [Palin's Travels]
· Alaska Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

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