McCain On Sarah Palin’s Incoherent Speech: I Didn’t See It

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, embraces Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, during a rally with supporters on election night in Phoenix, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told CNN on Sunday that he hadn’t seen former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) widely-panned speech in Iowa last week, but offered his ex-running mate his support regardless.

“If she did not give a good speech, she’s not the first politician that didn’t give a good speech from time to time, including me,” he told host Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

After CNN played a few choice moments from Palin’s baffling address at the Iowa Freedom Summit, McCain grasped for words for a moment and then said Palin is “very popular with a lot of people.”

“I think that she ought to do whatever she feels that she would like to do,” he said when Bash asked if he thought Palin should run. “And I’m very supportive of anything that she does.”

But McCain didn’t opt to endorse Palin’s potential candidacy.

“Obviously Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC-R) is the person I’m supporting,” McCain said, “but I wish her every success.”

Watch the clip, courtesy of CNN:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. I hope they rubbed his nose in it and smacked him with a rolled up newspaper.

  2. He wouldn’t have been reelected without her help in 2010; maybe he’s just trying to stay on her good side so she doesn’t turn against him in 2016.

  3. Bingo!

  4. Avatar for taters taters says:

    A window into McCain’s decision-making abilities; picking Palin as a running mate and loosing this grifter harpy on the world.
    Oh, and get off my lawn.

  5. He’s supportive of anything she wants to do except he’s supporting Huckleberry.

    John McCain, in a NUT shell.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

38 more replies

Participants

Avatar for daveminnj Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for barkingdogs3 Avatar for hobbitdave Avatar for enon Avatar for firstprime Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for trumpdog Avatar for crackerjack Avatar for mrcomments Avatar for mantan Avatar for frankly_my_dear Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for taters Avatar for dickweed Avatar for bigdaddydrj Avatar for ewparris Avatar for dnl Avatar for azjude Avatar for benthere Avatar for wrightwingnut Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for jinmichigan Avatar for an_american

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: