Bush Strategist: McCain Knows He Put Country At Risk With Palin Pick

Matthew Dowd, a prominent political consultant and chief strategist for George W. Bush's reelection campaign eviscerated John McCain on Tuesday for his choice of Sarah Palin as vice president.

Dowd proclaimed that, in his heart of hearts, McCain knew he put the country at risk with his VP choice and that he would "have to live" with that fact for the rest of his career.

"They didn't let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP," Dowd declared during the Time Warner Summit panel. "When Sarah Palin got picked instead of Joe Lieberman, which I fundamentally believed would have given John McCain the best opportunity in this race... as soon as he picked Palin, that whole ready versus not ready argument was not credible."

Saying that Palin was a "net negative" on the ticket, he went on: "[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with... He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that."

The other panelists were surprised, a bit, by Dowd's bluntness. Not least because McCain's well-known campaign motto is "country first."

"No, I don't agree," said Mark McKinnon, a former McCain aide, after chiding Dowd for claiming particular insight into McCain's soul.

"Well," responded Dowd, "that's even more disturbing than my thought" -- the implication being that it would be truly frightening if McCain didn't know how bad Palin truly was.

Time columnist Joe Klein summed up what seemed to be the panel's Palin consensus.

"It was a gimmick," he said of the pick. "It was one of the most disastrous decisions I have seen in a presidential campaign since I've begun covering them."

Later in the session, Hilary Rosen, the Huffington Post's Washington editor at large, noted that the Palin pick had been successful in energizing the Republican base -- and McCain himself. But Dowd wasn't biting.

"To me it is like Halloween," he said. "You get energized by eating all that candy at night but then you feel sick the next day."

Comments

[ckfan]

The greater problem here is that McCain chose someone he really didn't know very well. He assumed that because she was a Governor at the very least she was intelligent and sophisticated. He thought the Hillary women would flock to her. And they might have . . . if she wasn't such a dumb a**.

Imagine a man with this kind of personality and erratic behavior running the country. It's scary.

[treklady]

There were some Pumas that thought Sarah was great, a lot turned away after the interviews with Gibson and Couric. Has anyone heard how the Lady blah blah Rothschild is doing and what she now thinks about endorsing the McCain/Palin ticket. It might just be me but she sure has mud on her face right now. How do you back an intelligent women like HRC and then turn around and back a d-ummy?

[MoeJava]

Of course, if you found her with mud on her face, she'd say it was just a new spa treatment..........they can spin things, yes?

[JayDDrew]

Couldn't agree with you more.
There are still a few women who are voting for her rather than the Dems simply because she is a woman, but they are no brighter than she is. Thank goodness, they are few and far between. The vast majority who leaned towards her are now aghast.
This is the equivalent of the Clarence Thomas nomination to the Supreme Court. Surely, blacks were initially happy that GHWB chose a black man (though he was repalcing Thurgood Marshall) to be on the Supreme Court, but as they got to know Thomas, they realized they had been sold a bad bill of goods. Like Thomas, Palin has been proven to be a mental lightweight who would actually take away rights women have come to have, if given the opportunity.
She would have been a good sports announcer, though! Maybe.
The VP debate was like watching a contest of strength between an elephant (Biden) and a bunny (Palin). Everyone knew who was stronger. The bunny was just cuter and the only way the poor elephant could lose was if he stepped on the bunny, giving the bunny the sympathy vote!

[phatmouther]

His reasoning was probably that he knew he couldn't beat Obama, so he chose someone he could pass the blame for his failures onto.. lololol - I mean could it get any worse?

[Nomccain]

They are both a disgrace to the American political process! He has knowingly jeapordized our nation's security by selecting an inexperienced "soccer mom" to succeed him in the event something happened just so he could pander to women for their votes. This is a real leader isn't it? Can any sane person imagine a global crisis of the magnitudeof the cuban missle crisis with Commander In Chief Palin making the decisions? My God, the neocons must be genuine fools indeed.

[gameball]

But shes so pretty and people come to see her and that helps mccain , cause shes just so pretty. Oh and did I say shes a mavarick to .What more do ya need to maybe be president of USA, way to go mccain I've got total trust in your decision making.

[dcree77]

You don't have to look to the Cuban Missile Crisis for an example. Look at what is happening in our world right now. I know you seen the string: we have two wars, a world wide economic disaster, an environmental crisis, college education that costs are prohibitive, elementary and secondary education systems are leaving far too many children behind. Rather than demonstrate her ability to take up the mantle of leadership, she spews hate and stirs up mobs. She acts like she has no concept of the effects that her words have on the people in the audience. An example of that is when she chatised her own supporters for shouting "louder, louder!" She actually said that they should thank the soildier for fighting for their right to protest. This suggests that anyone who protests at her hate rallies is somehow unappreciative of the sacrifice of US soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has no idea the resentment these words inspire for the people in her audience.

[bronxlcsw]

It actually worked at first when the polls showed a huge bump in womens support for mcsame. But once she went on the mainstream media interview with Charlie and Katie, it was pretty much over. I think Mcsame has gotten a free pass on this. An arguement could be made that Mcsame for his own selfish reasons would place the security of this nation at risk with the unprepared palin just to pander to woman voters. Thank god it has backfired big time... If he dropped her now and placed Bloomberg or Romney or even Portman of Ohio... he may have an outside chance... With Palin this thing is over...

[Gary47]

Their only chance is the same one they had the last two elections - disenfranchise voters - and we must stop them at that. This election isn't about Palin and never was - she was just a distraction - and a pretty effective one. The election is about McCain - his judgment, his competence, his failed policy choices, his constant flip-flopping. As Dems, we make a mistake thinking Palin is more important than this.

[POTUS2008]

Palin was a bad pick but not because of her lack of experience, its because she is a right wing wacko. i don't think there is any pick that would have made a difference. McCain has run a very erratic campaign, but on the other hand, it is not just that he is out of touch, Obama is doing a lot of things right and people are ready for a change.

[wagthedog1001]

There is a real frightening and fundamental lack of intelligence and background knowledge of the world there as well.

[BIG JOHN]

NOW TELL US SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW. PALIN IS SO DONE.

[nodakjob]

Not only is Palin done as far as Veep candidate, but I surmise she'll have a helluva time getting back into her role as governor of Alaska after all the shenanigans that investigative (legitimate) reporters are now uncovering about Gov. Sarah and Dude Todd (Troopergate, accepting favors from campaign donors in the building of their home, etc., etc., etc.) And then there's John McCain and the selfish, feebleminded decision he made to put the obviously unvetted Palin on the ticket in the first place.

[LouboutinLover]

If I had his address I would send him flowers! Well said!

[ronnierayjenkins]

i'm sorry but I don't trust the process, the Republicans, Diebold, the slanted Supreme Court...now their talking about the Bradley effect already...it's like they're prepping the country, like they've done for 8 years.

http://www.ronnierayjenkins.com/topics/deathinappalachia/Empty_Chairs/

[ckfan]

Ohhhhh. I feel 'ya. Scares me, too. James Carville hinted at riots in the street if Obama doesn't win - not from Black people - but young people who support Obama.

[jimdog1954]

I'm 54 years old, and my pitchfork is ready, just in case.

[brynn6]

I think that is what McCain meant by his "we've got them where we want them" comment. I think he meant that the fix was in so don't worry. Vote people, early if possible.

[copesthetics]

scum bags

[super]

The man who sold out his country for... for what? A wink? You betcha!

[AlaskasRevenge]

If Michelle Obama was part of an organization that wants to "Become a separate and Independent Nation." America would be outraged. If Michelle Obama even gave a speech to such a group Obama would be about 10% in the polls. America wold not tolerate it.

What about Todd Palin? He has really "palled" around with the Alaska Independent Party? Where is the outcry from this? I never see him where a flag lapel? But we demand Barack Obama wear one to show his patriotism. Are we so hard hardened that we will accept anybody with lipstick and any secessionist? Just as long as the person is not of color.

America, your heart will be tested on Nov. 4th. The world's eyes are on you. Be very careful because it could be Todd Palin answering the White House phone at 3am.

[MarkBoston]

The Republican party is imploding from within. They suffer from the inbreeding of ideals . Greed for money and the power of exclusion. They lost there party when they were overrun by the religious fanatics and the bigots. It was more acceptable to be called a Republican than what they have historically been know as the KKK. The GOP is at it's very center anti American as their values are more Fascist and capitalist . Nothing about freedom , liberty, commonwealth, fairness, inclusion. progressive.

[shaytoonee]

I am glad the REAL CONSERVITIVES are waking up and speaking HONESTLY.

I just hope more conservitives wake up and see the light.

[Bitsko]

That last paragraph is the smartest thing I've ever heard a republican say, and should go into all the books of quotations.

[KennaP]

To me it's like Thanksgiving. You get full eating all that turkey and then pass out on the couch.