Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said on CNN’s State of the Union this morning that he thinks his former running mate Sarah Palin is still “a formidable force” in his party.
“She still is a formidable force in the Republican Party and I have great affection for her,” McCain said.
While McCain acknowledged tensions in his campaign — “Did we always agree on everything in the past, will we in the future? No.” — he said that picking Palin as his vice presidential nominee “energized our party,” and, responding to a question from John King, implied that she’s a contender for president in 2012.
“We have some great people out there and Sarah is one of them,” McCain said.
McCain also had some strong words about Afghanistan, saying that if President Obama doesn’t take Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s advice to send 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, it would be “an error of historic proportions.”
“I think the great danger now is not an American pullout,” McCain said. “I think the great danger now is a half measure.”
Late Update: Here’s the video.
