>>Can ‘Small Town’ Palin Deal With Putin?<<
Here’s a good answer:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/09/do0904.xml
A guy from Dixon, Illinois (a town of 10 thousand) did pretty well when it came to dealing with the Soviets. Before moving to Dixon at age 9, Reagan lived in Tampico, a town of one thousand.