ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ Russian attempts to claim part of the Arctic Ocean seabed have given Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unique foreign policy experience, the McCain-Palin campaign says, but there is no evidence she has ever been involved with or spoken publicly about them.
Asked to explain Palin's statements that Alaska's proximity to Russia bolsters her foreign policy credentials, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said Wednesday that Alaska is involved in "north corridor issues with Russia, Canada, Iceland and the United States of America."
The campaign cited Russia's attempts to claim part of a 1,240-mile underwater mountain range that crosses the polar region as its territory. Last August, a Russian submarine dropped a titanium capsule containing the nation's flag on the sea floor, sparking a multinational race to secure rights to the Arctic seabed.
Campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin said Russia's Arctic moves "give you some interesting international experience that you might not otherwise encounter if, say, you were the governor of Delaware."
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