Obama: Palin's No Expert on Nuclear Strategy

Sarah Palin is no nuke expert, President Obama said Thursday in a TV interview, responding to Palin's criticism of Obama's new nuclear strategy.

Obama was asked about a comment the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee made on Fox News' "Hannity," comparing the president's plan to a kid asking to be punched in the face on the playground and vowing not to hit back.

"Last I checked, Palin's not an expert on nukes," Obama told ABC News. "If the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are comfortable, I'll take my advice from them and not Sarah Palin."

Obama has taken heat from the right for a shift in nuclear strategy that would limit the potential uses of nuclear weapons -- even in self defense -- while making exceptions for nations like Iran that have flouted international sanctions.

"It's unbelievable. Unbelievable. No administration in America's history would, I think, ever have considered such a step that we just found out that President Obama is supporting today," Palin, a former Alaska governor and now a Fox News contributor, said Wednesday in an interview with Sean Hannity.

"You know that's kind of like getting out there on the playground a bunch of kids ready to fight and one of the kids saying go ahead, punch me in the face and I'm not going to retaliate. Go ahead and do what you want to with me," she said. "No, it is unacceptable.