Surprise! Palin likes Obama's Nobel speech

Surprise! Palin likes Obama's Nobel speech

Sarah Palin and President Obama don't agree on much, but last year's Republican vice presidential nominee just gave the president's defense of "just wars" a thumbs up in an interview with USA TODAY. In fact, she said that the president's address in Oslo, where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today, reminded her of what she wrote on the same subject in her hugely successful memoir, Going Rogue.

"I liked what he said," Palin told us in a phone interview. "I talked too in my book about the fallen nature of man and why war is necessary at times." For Palin, that view strikes close to home: Her eldest son, 20-year-old Track, is an Army infantry member who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
"I'm on my knees more than ever praying for his safety along with all of his fellow troops," Palin said. "Of course, war is the last thing any American, I believe, wants to have to engage in, but it's necessary. We have to stop these terrorists over there."

Conservatives shouldn't worry. Palin isn't going soft on Obama. The former Alaska governor went on to say that former president George W. Bush "did a great job of reminding Americans every single day that he was in office" of the lessons of the 9/11 attacks. "By the way, I'd like to see President Obama follow more closely in the footsteps of George Bush and his passion for keeping the homeland safe," Palin added.

The governor, seen with husband Todd in a photo taken by Larry Meyer of the Associated Press at a book signing in Billings, Mont., earlier this week, spoke to USA TODAY as she was wrapping up a three-week, 18,000-plus mile book tour. She talked about journey, politics and her future. Pick up tomorrow's paper to read all about it.

Here's an audio clip of Palin talking about Obama's speech and her son, Track: