Categorized | Commentary/Editorial

Flashback: Governor Palin’s Five-Point Requirements on Military Action

Posted on September 02 2013 - 2:10 AM - Posted by: | Follow Steve on Twitter!





Since Governor Palin’s amazing post on Friday, we’ve heard a lot of talk on Syria out of the press.  Sadly though, it seems that the voice of the people and common sense is going ignored by in large while the establishment elites on both sides of the aisle are already using various aspects of this issue for political talking points.

I noticed that on Twitter, Governor Palin’s speech at Colorado Christian University given in 2011 has been passed around a few times where she lays out the following five points with regard to military action (emphasis added):

First, we should only commit our forces when clear and vital American interests are at stake. Period.

Second, if we have to fight, we fight to win. To do that, we use overwhelming force. We only send our troops into war with the objective to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible. We do not stretch out our military with open-ended and ill-defined missions. Nation building is a nice idea in theory, but it is not the main purpose of our armed forces. We use our military to win wars.

And third, we must have clearly defined goals and objectives before sending troops into harm’s way. If you can’t explain the mission to the American people clearly and concisely, then our sons and daughters should not be sent into battle. Period.

Fourth, American soldiers must never be put under foreign command. We will fight side by side with our allies, but American soldiers must remain under the care and the command of American officers.

Fifth, sending in our armed forces should be the last resort. We don’t go looking for dragons to slay. However, we will encourage the forces of freedom around the world who are sincerely fighting for the empowerment of the individual. When it makes sense, when it’s appropriate, we will provide them with material support to help them win their own freedom. We are not indifferent to the cause of human rights or the desire for freedom. We are always on the side of both. But we can’t fight every war. We can’t undo every injustice around the world.

While Governor Palin was talking about troop deployment, this offers a lot of clarity and good common sense that should be applied today as opposed to all the fog coming out of D.C. on Syria.

SarahPAC has excerpts of the speech here.

(H/T FreeRepublic)


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  • hope4palins

    IMO this should be the standard that all POTUSes should hold themselves to in making any decision to use military force. The standard should be that unless ALL five of the criteria are met, we don’t go. Not three, not four, not almost five, all five, period. Imho this statement is as important for our time as the Monroe Doctrine was in the early 19th Century. Thank you for posting this, I’m going to copy it into my draft file so that I can use it to educate people about how Presidents should think and act as opposed to the way this one has been acting.

    • BrianusBerkleianus

      Thanks, hope4palins!!

    • Budvarakbar

      Not to mention the last several

  • BrianusBerkleianus

    Thanks, Steve!!

    The Governor strikes the AUREA MEDIOCRITAS, the Roman poet Horace’s Golden Mean, between isolationism and neo-conservatism.

    Her Five Points are like FIVE GOLDEN STARS for future Presidents to follow in guiding the Ship of the American State.

    SARAH is America’s REAL President!!

    • section9

      I understand you enthusiasm, Brian, but it’s important to note that no, Palin is not the real President of the United States. We wish she was, but we have to confront the fact that we have a toxic political culture in this country that has, for the time being, rejected common sense conservatism for the dole and permanent warfare.
      This too shall pass.

      • Budvarakbar

        Correction suggested: "rejected ALL common sense"

      • BrianusBerkleianus

        "This too shall pass."

        Amen, Section!

  • BrianusBerkleianus

    Guys, I have been trying to come up with a handy memory aid for myself for the Governor’s Five Points.

    I don’t know if these Five V’s will be helpful to anyone else, but here goes:

    VITAL-Vital American interests must be at stake.

    VICTORY-We fight to win.

    VISION-There must be a clear vision of defined goals and objectives and mission.

    VESTED-Only American officers, vested with the authority of command, will lead our troops (not foreigners).

    VERY-Only as a VERY last resort.

    Brianus

    • FredHeadBill

      She is the vibrant vestige of the ‘vox populi’, a vigilant defender of our Constitution, her value and veracity of speech shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

      THEPALINREVOLUTION2013

      my apologies to V

      • BrianusBerkleianus

        :-) !!!

    • 2C714

      I like it! Great mnemonic device.

      • BrianusBerkleianus

        Thanks, 2C714!

  • JD777

    The Palin Doctrine.

  • Journeymen

    This is so relevant with what’s going on in regard to Syria but what I find amazing is Sarah’s wisdom on this from 2 1/2 years ago! She had her finger on the issues then and now

  • RevIdahoSpud3

    I seem to recall Palin’s endorsement of the Maverick in his last election that was very well the support needed that put him back in office. Oh look! He’s supporting attacking Syria at this very moment! When Palin apologizes for this lack of mental cognition I might take her seriously. You betcha!

    • mainelysteve

      She was returning the favor. Syria wasn’t an issue when she supported him for re-election, she doesn’t have to apologize to you or anyone else, and if that’s what it takes for you to take her seriously; I doubt you can take anything seriously!

      • RevIdahoSpud3

        McCain was the same person then as he is now. A favor??? What favor? Palin has complained she was thrown under the bus during the campaign then turns around and endorses the old fool. You can’t have it both ways but some like yourself apparently believe you can. Poor judgment, end of story. If favors trump principle then we may as well keep the cabal we have. Palin, can go ahead and milk her notoriety and high dollar newscast jobs, which is what she is doing anyway. As far as taking things seriously, I seem to be taking the matter of principles more seriously then you oh holier than thou.

        • friskyness

          you don’t take anything seriously, except that "fool" in the White House……. you have no credibility so ………..

        • Jean_A

          Go bite yourself, you kook! Others may debate you but I have no time for a loser like you.

        • Lemuel Vargas

          Troll Alert. He is continuing the Big Lie about" milking her notoriety and high dollar newscast jobs" , which the Nazi tried to master as a propaganda technique.
          See below:
          Tell an outrageous lie so that a majority of people will be shocked and wonder how the left could tell such outrageous lies and then repeat them over and over again until those same people will not be shocked anymore and thus perceive the lie to be the truth.
          To me, he is on par with the Nazis for this repetition.

    • cbenoistd
  • DocBarry1

    Please send this to Drudge, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, all other sites and ask that they print this Brilliant 5 point plan that Obama and our Congress should be discussing re Syria
    Finally, send to all the House and Senate representatives so they can’t say that they were not aware of, again, this Brilliant 5 point plan. Specifically, ask Cruz, Lee, Rand, Rubio, Ryan, Christie, Bush, Mark Levin, Rush – to respond – where is she wrong – I believe that the Governor is spot on and it makes so much sense.

  • CBDenver

    Thanks so much for posting this. We need to be reminded of Gov Palin’s clear and concise list of reasons for the drastic step of military intervention. To save face, as Obama wants to do, is not a good reason.

  • http://lenbilen.com/ Lennart Bilén

    For a long time I have been trying to figure out what the “Obama doctrine” would look like. The Jerusalem Post’s Michael Wilner was grappling with the same thing and came up with a few snippets.

    The Obama Doctrine: Right is might

    “Some things are more important than partisan differences,” Obama said from the White House. “Now is the time to show the world that America keeps its commitments.”

    Commenting briefly and unscripted from the White House on Friday, Obama repeatedly mentioned that the murderer of “innocent children” must not go unpunished.

    “This is our first task— caring for our children. It’s our first job,” Obama said last December in Newtown, Connecticut, after the mass shooting of twenty school children. “If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.”

    In the fifth year of his presidency, we now have a foreign policy doctrine from Obama: that principled decisions, driven by fundamental good and contrasted by stark and evident evil, serve to reinforce the core national security interests of the United States, even when crippled by practical difficulties.

    “Right makes might,” he said Saturday on Syria, from the Rose Garden, “not the other way around.”

    “Fatigue does not absolve us of our responsibility,” Secretary John Kerry said from the State Department on Friday. “It is profoundly about who we are.”

    Perhaps that, to Obama, is another core governing principle in American foreign policy: that partisanship should end at the water’s edge.

    After moving warships and shouting threats, inaction could deliver a steep cost to American credibility around the world. The question Obama wants answered is whether America will adopt the Obama Doctrine: that right is might, and justifies the use of force.

    This was the best possible viewpoint the reporter could muster regarding the Obama doctrine.

    My take on the Obama doctrine is more: On the one hand…On the other hand.

    On the one hand Obama will negotiate with all world leaders without preconditions

    On the other hand he will not meet with Putin, goes to Sweden instead.

    On the one hand action against Syria is of utmost urgency.

    On the other hand there is no need to call in congress early. Take your time.

    On the one hand the murderer of “innocent children” must not go unpunished.

    On the other hand, if a baby survives an abortion attempt, it is o.k. to let the baby die if the original intent was to abort.

    On the one hand, drone strikes are good, even if there are collateral deaths of innocent children.

    On the other hand, guns are bad, since the wrong use of them could kill innocents.

    On the one hand we will do no military action without the consent of U.N. or at least our allies.

    On the other hand we must intervene without international buy-in.

    I could go on with rich vs. poor, Muslims vs. Christians, white vs. black, etc. but I refrain.

    This is my best take on the Obama doctrine.
    Compared with the Palin doctrine, what a difference!!
    Palin for POTUS NOW!!!

  • Quiet_Righty

    I’ve been thinking about that speech at Colorado Christian University. It is conveniently ignored by people who want to label her a "neocon."

  • Jon Kelly

    This person who the butt of too many snide remarks and crude jokes speaks out on subjects with the clarity that the " intellectual and Washington elites" can only envy.
    Once again, with pride in this special person, I an PROUD TO BE A PALINISTA!

  • http://www.motivationtruth.com Adrienne Ross

    Great timing for such a flashback, Steve. Thanks for posting.

  • jester2939

    Thanks for posting this here. It is quite appropriate right now.

    • c4pfan

      I agree.

  • Ceejay

    Thanks Steve!

  • Lemuel Vargas

    Also, her most iconic statement, "Let Allah Sort It Out."

  • Seabee

    Actually, the first three points were Reagan/Thatcher doctrine. Let me explain. I was stationed in the UK in the early 80s (’82-’85). At that time, after Reagan called the USSR the ‘evil empire’, we began to deploy the Pershing 2 tactical nuclear missiles all over Europe and nuclear armed cruise missiles in the UK and Sicily. There was overwhelming opposition to this throughout Europe led by the Coalition for Nuclear Dis-armament (CND) supported by the Labor Party and here at home supported by the Progressives.
    The CNDs (mostly women) pioneered a tactic by using babies and little children as "human shields" to breach security fences around US bases. They were successfull in penetrating RAF Leakenheath in UK and spray painted "Yankee Go Home" on one SR-71 spyplane and the armed Air Force police can’t do a darn thing about it because we were told NOT to.
    To ease a very volatile situation, President Reagan sent SecDef Casper Wienberger to Europe to explain on British TV the first three points that Gov. Palin outlined in her speech. This doctrine was used in Desert Storm ( I was there too) and it was succesfull.

    • jester2939

      She goes on in her speech after she lays out the 5 points and says that some of them may sound familiar. She said that’s because Reagan laid out those points in 1984 in how he approached foreign policy. It’s no surprise that Palin, who was a Reagan fan at the time, would agree with and adopt many of his views.

      • Seabee

        Point #4 is very dear to my heart. Since we provide the bulk of logistics and blood. We should only take orders from our U.S. Commanders.
        Obama on the other hand abdicated the U.S. Forces under the command of a NATO Commander who is not a U.S. military during the Libyan crisis. This is leading from behind. You know, the "view" from behind is the same anywhere you look.

        • jester2939

          I agree. It is very important that U.S. troops are under U.S. command at all times.

  • jester2939

    Talk radio needs to play the part where she is discussing the 5 points at the 17:48 mark today.

  • slhancock

    Wish Sarah had run in 2012. Sigh! Of course, Obama was going to win, regardless of how much fraud he had to employ to do it, so it would have been a wasted run.
    Sarah, the republicans have shown MORE & MORE each day that they are trampling on our rights, our dreams, our concerns. We no longer matter to them. We MUST form a Freedom Party now so we can build for 2014 and 2016.

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