NORAD to Palin: Wrong, Russian flights in US airspace never occurred
Posted on Tue, Sep. 30, 2008
Campaign tries to explain Palin's Putin comment
By MARTHA MENDOZA
The Associated Press
Gov. Sarah Palin cites vigilance against Russian warplanes coming into U.S. airspace over Alaska as one of her foreign policy credentials. But the U.S. military command in charge says that hasn't happened in her 21 months in office.
"When you consider even national security issues with Russia, as (Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where - where do they go? It's Alaska," the Republican vice presidential nominee said in an interview last week with CBS News' Katie Couric.
The spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, Maria Comella, clarified in an e-mail to The Associated Press that when "Russian incursions near Alaskan airspace and inside the air defense identification zone have occurred ... U.S. Air Force fighters have been scrambled repeatedly."
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