Commander-in-Chief of what, exactly?

One of the McCain campaigns talking points is that Gov. Palin has vital experience as the Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard. While this is technically true, let me describe exactly what this means for those unfamiliar with the National Guard system.

State Governors are the titular, elected civilian heads of their respective State Guard. However, few have much idea of what their troops do on a daily basis (or at their monthly drills.). I think that it would even be a fair assessment to say that the role of many State Governors is more or less ceremonial.

The military training decisions and preparations are made by the State Adjutant General, who is a uniformed (and usually highly experienced) officer, frequently with two star (Major General) or three star (Lieutenant General) rank.

The role of the Governor is typically limited to making decisions as to if and when the troops are called up to deal with statewide emergencies, such as natural disasters. Should National Guard troops be utilized in any type of combat role--or used in any capacity on foreign soil--they are under Federal control and the State Governor has no role in their strategic deployment or tactical operations.

So, in the case of Alaska, Gov. Palin is not leading combat troops that are manning the border to prevent an invasion from Canada. When her state troops are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan,
her role is largely limited to traveling to deployment areas to shake hands with the troops and pose for photo ops.

Putting this forth as a qualification in foreign policy or international relations is an embarrassingly transparent claim to those who know how much (or actually how little) the State Governors have to do with their guard units. And, as one of the least populous states, Alaska probably has one of the smaller State Guards.