Palin warns on national security

Sarah Palin, immersing herself into not her strongest suit, held a national security roundtable today, then echoed John McCain's closing message that while the economy is bad, voters shouldn't lose sight of the threats facing the country -- and can trust McCain far more than Democrat Barack Obama to meet them.

The Alaska governor met with former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, former CIA Director Jim Woolsey, and former Navy secretary John Lehman, among others.

Afterwards, the McCain campaign issued her prepared remarks.

"It used to be we could place domestic and foreign concerns in more or less 'distinct categories' -- and choose a president according to which seemed the greater priority at the time. But the world has so drastically changed and those days are gone," she said. "It's easy to forget this in a time of economic worry and hardship. When your most valuable assets -- from your home to your retirement plan -- seem at risk, it may be hard to spend much time worrying about great troubles in far-off places."

Palin added, "But when the worst of our economic crisis has passed -- and it will pass -- we don't want to find ourselves facing even graver problems because we lost sight of the things that matter most. And as John McCain has understood throughout his career -- serving on carriers, in cockpits, and in the Capitol -- nothing takes priority over the security of this country.

"Seven years after 9/11, there is a temptation to assume that we have seen the worst that terrorists can do, or that they have somehow changed their mind, and abandoned their mission of inflicting "catastrophic harm" on our country! But we must not confuse effective countermeasures with an end to the threat. The terrorist threat will be with us for many years, and millions of innocent lives are in the balance."

In a rally in Erie, Pa., Palin repeated the accusation that Democrats plan to slash defense spending, by as much as 25 percent.

She noted that her teenage son Track is in Iraq, and addressing other mothers of those in the military, she asked: "What are we supposed to do, throw a bake sale? What are they thinking?"

Obama responded today in Sarasota, Fla., to those assertions that he and Democratic leaders in Congress want to slash the defense budget.

"I will never hesitate to do what it takes to defend this nation. From day one of this campaign, I have made clear that we will increase our ground troops and our investments in the finest fighting force the world. Watching our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines fight in Iraq and Afghanistan has only deepened my commitment to invest in 21st century technologies so that our men and women have the best training and equipment when they deploy into combat and the care and benefits they have earned when they come home.”