Is it true that Sarah Palin didn't get a passport until 2007, when she was 43 years old?

To all of you people who think that NOT owning a passport is not a big deal: think again. THINK about it.

She is one step away from the President of the United States: the most powerful nation on Earth. We live in a diverse, globalized society and for a person to not have at least SOME international experience/perspective is frightening. It really does matter.

It is perfectly fine for a person to not have a passport - but not someone who is vying for the second office in the nation. Are you kidding me? My husband just got his passport in 2007 and he is 30 and NOT running for office. He was the one who broke the news to me because he was extremely shocked by it.

Not having some significant experience traveling outside of the U.S. is a vivid indication of the scope of her experience. If McCain dies or something happens to him - as has happened to other presidents in this nation's history - then this individual will become President.

We are already falling behind because of the policies of the Bush Administration. (Bush, by the way, is another "non-traveller") We really can't afford someone like her on the ticket.

I am a registered Independent. I can tell you that Obama is a risk (worth taking). His credentials far outweigh hers (besides the traveling):

(Source DailyKos)

1980 - 1984

Obama: B.A. in political science with a specialization in international relations from Columbia University.

Obama: B.A. in political science with a specialization in international relations from Columbia University.

985 - 1990

Obama: moved to Chicago; became a community organizer as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization on Chicago's far South Side. During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization.

Moved to Boston to attend Harvard Law School. Selected as an editor and then elected president of the Harvard Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the law review's staff of 80 editors.

1991 - 1995

Obama: graduated magna *** laude from Harvard Law School; received contract and advance to write a book ("Dreams from my Father") as well as a fellowship at the University of Chicago Law School. Directed the Illinois Project Vote from April to October 1992, a voter registration drive with a staff of 10 and 700 volunteers that achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, leading Crain's Chicago Business to name Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be. Appointed as a Lecturer in constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 12-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development. Active in several community organizations, usually as a board member.

1996 - 2000

Obama: promoted to Senior Lecturer in constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Elected to the Illinois Senate.

Sponsored more than 800 bills. In 2000, lost a Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one.

2001 - 2004

Obama: reelected in 2002 and became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.

2005 to present

Obama: Sworn in as the fifth-ever African-American U.S. senator. Worked with Republican Senator Lugar to author and implement a program to locate and dismantle stray Russian WMD's. Designated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the party's point man on ethics. Worked with Russ Feingold to pass a major ethics/lobbying reform bill. Cosponsored, with John McCain, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. Called for increased fuel efficiency standards (3 percent every year for 15 years). Assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Veterans' Affairs, and Homeland Security. Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Waged a tremendous battle to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Currently manages 2,500 campaign employees and a budget of $40-$50 million/month.

Actually having a passport is extremely important. You cannot expect to have meaningful dialog when you have not experienced other cultures and understand little things like "yes" does not always mean yes.

How do you expect someone to act as president and perform duties such as host foreign diplomats, broker peace treaties, help governments like Iraq? When you don't even have a grasp of different cultures sensitivities you won't be very successful.

Seriously folks, I know lots of people who I respect and enjoy their company. This does not mean that they should be leader of the free world. This position should be reserved for someone of exceptional abilities.

Obama & McCain are both extremely qualified. They have proven in a variety of ways that they have the intellect, experience, and drive to do the job.

Someone who has not traveled abroad (not even on vacation!), and has such little intellectual curiosity that they have not 'thought about it [Iraq war] much" shouldn't be let near the white house. This is a recipe for disaster in areas from trade to out right war.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson's got a lot of great qualities including experience. But .... here is an interview with a 'German Expert' who seems to have a strong grasp of the tight-rope walk that McCain has had to play between many of his supporters including the conservative right which is 40% of his base.

SK Dunkan, better check your facts. The allegation was proven false in Sarah's case. It was only her husband that was a member of that group.

According to news reports, her and her husband were members of The Alaskan Independence Party, a separatist group in Alaska that wanted to seize all Federal land and basically secede from the United States.

Lynette Clark, the chairman of the AIP, tells ABC News that Palin and her husband Todd were members in 1994, even attending the 1994 statewide convention in Wasilla.

She may not have wanted to use a US passport, since an independent Alaska would probably issue their own.

She never left the US until she was governor!

Palin is insulting. she is unqualified, has a pregnant 17 year-old ( I only use this as Palin is the one who will not let them teach sex education and look what happened to her daughter. Perhaps mom forgot to teach her about the birds and the bees)

In her 2002 Lt. Governor bid, Mayor Palin used city employees, telephones,computers, fax machines for campaign fundraising and literature. On her candidate registration form, she used her City Hall fax number, and her mayoral e-mail address. Records show that Wasilla city property was used to contact supporters, donors, media contacts, and media purchasing. [Anchorage Daily News, 7/21/06] (isn't this a violation of the election laws?),

Palin Exaggerated Work Experience for Mayoral Campaign. In 1997, Frontiersman columnist Paul Stuart wrote that after Palin had criticized her opponent for using City Hall resources for political gain, "when Palin was asked back then (by me) why the lodge where she claimed, in her campaign, to have gained her management experience, had no record of a borough business license or of paying

any bed tax, she paused and said it might have been because the place had no clients for a year or so." In an article describing the possibility of recalling Palin, the Frontiersman wrote the "reasons include Palin's alleged falsification of her credentials during the campaign last fall." [Frontiersman, 1/22/97,

Frontiersman Editorial Said Palin Made Statements That Were "Patently Untrue," Said She Had Shown "Unrepentant Backpedaling and Incessant Whining." A Frontiersman editorial wrote, "Wasilla residents have been subjected to attempts

to unlawfully appoint council members, statements that have been shown to be patently untrue, unrepentant backpedaling, and incessant whining that her only enemies are the press and a few disgruntled supporters of former Mayor John Stein." [Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]

Frontiersman Editorial: Palin Doesn't Grasp the Truth. A Frontiersman editorial wrote, "Mayor Palin fails to have a firm grasp of something very simple: the truth." [Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]

Who said Polin has more experience than Obama! They sure can't add!

Barack Obama has a total of 12 years experience in government, both state and federal.

Bush had 6

Reagan had 8.

Carter had 10 in Georgia.

Nixon and Kennedy had 12!

And you really think Obama has less experience than a mayor of a town of 7,000 people, and less than 2 years as governor of a state 1/4 the population of Newark? And she is already being investigated for misusing her office (firing her Director of Safety as he would not fire Palin's ex-brother-in law that was a state trooper)! She has an attorney, and get this, her private attorney is the Attorney General of Alaska!

McCain didn't vet his nominee, heck, they didn't even talk to their next door neighbors according to the Capitals newspaper today.

The Democrats did though and have 62 Pages of information on Palin! (The Huffington PostSeptember 3, 2008)

That's the best you can do bashing Gov Palin? A passport question? Geeeeesh, you are lame!

I've been to 14 different countries and don't own a passport, never needed one.

Do you also know that she is the only one in the race that actually has Executive experience? That's right; McCain, Obama and Biden are all 3 senators and not part of the Executive Branch that the President and Governors are. Palin has her act together and doesn't dance around the issues.

You are all so phony!

When Governor Palin got her passport, she visited the Alaska National Guard that was stationed in Kuwait, then she went to Germany to visit injured soldiers.

So you value someone traipsing around the world, collecting passport stamps, sitting in hostels, wearing sandals over someone that did something constructive with her travel time?

You elitist, phony, arrogant, stupid, narrow-minded, dishonest, jerks.

Save your breath. Palin can run circles around your boy.

Oh, and April B quoting Kos? LOLOLOLOLOL

your true, socialist colors are showing

Oh, please!! Give me a break! What world do you live in that everyone has a passport. Plenty of people don't have passports because they have no reason or desire to go to a foreign country. They don't even want to go to Mexico or Canada. So they don't get a passport.

As soon as someone has some reason to leave the country they go sign up for a passport. It's not THAT hard to get although it takes a little time and money. Probably why they didn't get one in the first place.

This is true from what I heard. So I guess to you that means she's not fit? To me it means she's an average american - (most of us don't travel to Russia or China you know)- we do have telephones, internet etc. She is not one of the Washington "good old boys" Yea! She has ideals & principals- she has an 80% approval rating as Governor of her state- she is a reformer and a stong woman with the same type of problems that most americans have at one time or another. I am ready for REAL change and I will support her 100%. (Even though (gasp!) she just got a passport in 07)!

Such a great point. After all, Mayors have to leave the country to visit with foreign dignitaries all of the time. How did she get by without doing that?

Seriously, only people who like traveling are allowed to run for public office now?