Cindy McCain strikes back

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., boards his campaign plane in St. Louis, with his sons Jack, second from left, his wife Cindy and son Jimmy, right, en route to visit a hurricane command center in Jackson, Miss., Sunday morning, Aug. 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Cindy McCain defends Palin pick, husband

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cindy McCain said Sunday that Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin understands what's at stake in national security issues in part because she is governor of Alaska, located some 300 miles from Russia.

The wife of soon-to-be GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain also said she's "offended" by Democrats calling her husband elitist because of the number of homes their family owns.

Asked about Palin's credential, Cindy McCain told ABC-TV's "This Week:" "The experience that she comes from is with what she's done in the government. And also, remember: Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia. So, it's not as if she doesn't understand what's at stake here."

[...]

It's unusual for the spouse of a presidential candidate to go on a Sunday talk show, but Cindy McCain used her 10 minutes to defend her husband from charges of elitism.

She also signaled she'd want to focus on humanitarian crises as first lady, talking about her meetings in Georgia last week with refugees of the recent Russian invasion. [...]

She goes on to talk about Supporting Georgia. She also addresses the Democrats criticism of her family, and also talks about her conversations with Palin about assuming the vice-presidency.