Campbell Brown Defends Sarah Palin Against McCain Advisers' Scapegoating: "You Picked Her"

Campbell Brown used her "Cutting Through The Bull" segment Thursday night to defend Sarah Palin against "scapegoating" on the part of John McCain's advisers.

"I find it so stunning that the very people who introduced us to Sarah Palin, who told us she would make a great Vice President, have now turned on her with a vengeance," Brown said. "They are the top advisers to John McCain's failed campaign and they are desperate right now to find someone to blame for their long list of mistakes."

Brown, who reminded viewers that Sarah Palin was only in the national spotlight for nine short weeks, also reminded McCain's advisers that they are the ones who chose Palin for the #2 spot:

You are the ones who supposedly vetted her, and then told the American people she was qualified for the job. You are the ones who after meeting her a couple of times, told us she was ready to be just one heartbeat away from the Presidency. If even half of what you say NOW is true, then boy, did you try to sell the American people a bill of goods. If Sarah Palin is the reason some voters chose Barack Obama, that is no one's fault but your own. John McCain, as he so graciously said himself the other night, lost this election. He lost it with your help, your advice, your guidance, and yes, your running mate recommendations. And that is crystal clear to everyone, no matter how hard you try to blame Sarah Palin or anyone else.

Watch:

Brown's Full Comments

Tonight the scape-goating of Sarah Palin. Whatever you may have thought about John McCain's running mate... about whether she was qualified, prepared or experienced enough for the job... try if you can to put all of that aside for just a moment. Because Sarah Palin is who she is. She did not become measurably more intelligent or measurably less intelligent during this campaign. Remember, she was only part of the campaign for a matter of nine weeks. Sarah Palin is who she is.

Which is why I find it so stunning that the very people who introduced us to Sarah Palin... who told us she would make a great Vice President... have now turned on her with a vengeance. They are the top advisors to John McCain's failed campaign and they are desperate right now to find someone to blame for their long long list of mistakes. They have been launching grenades at Palin and her supporters... some of their allegations we at CNN have found to be patently false. You will hear people say "this is what always happens with a losing campaign"... and hopefully, this is the last time we will be talking about these people. But what they have done just in the last few days to save their own skins is worth a final comment.

To those top McCain advisors who leaked the little story about seeing Sarah Palin in a towel. To those who called her and her family "Wasilla Hillbillies" while using her to stoke class warfare with redmeat speeches and an anti-elitist message. To those who claim she didn't know Africa was a continent. To those McCain aides who say she is the reason they lost this election... can I please remind you of one thing: you picked her.

You are the ones who supposedly vetted her, and then told the American people she was qualified for the job. You are the ones who after meeting her a couple of times, told us she was ready to be just one heartbeat away from the Presidency. If even half of what you say NOW is true, then boy, did you try to sell the American people a bill of goods. If Sarah Palin is the reason some voters chose Barack Obama, that is no one's fault but your own. John McCain, as he so graciously said himself the other night, lost this election. He lost it with your help, your advice, your guidance, and yes, your running mate recommendations. And that is crystal clear to everyone, no matter how hard you try to blame Sarah Palin or anyone else.

Previously:

Campbell Brown Calls Out Double Standard On Palin Clothes Controversy
Campbell Brown Rips McCain Camp's "Sexist" Treatment Of Palin

Comments

[MIVOTE]

They lost because of the entire package. Palin was just the icing on a very bitter cake. She's now the scapegoat for not only McCain, but Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield and the like. She shouldn't shadow the rest of the ingredients of a very bad group of people of which she fit in very well.

[LemonMeringue]

Every time she is on the air there should be a trailer disclosing that she is married to Dan Senor, a Fox News contributor and Republican strategist who also used to work for Paul Bremer.

[jonjon66]

word up, I'm begging for a disclaimer "disclosing that she is married to (RNC hechman) Dan Senor"

[LemonMeringue]

It's hard to respect Brown as a journalist after the lied about Jimmy Carter being the last president over a House and Senate of the same party - when Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had the same situation. It was an attempt to scare people with her "it didn't work out so well" b.s.

I'm waiting for Brown to apologize for her lie, or huge mistake, unbefitting a journalist.

[joeyp404]

Campbell Brown hit the nail on the head.

[Sock]

Campbell,

Palin said and did anything she needed to get ahead, she isn't some little lost sheep in the woods. She's vindictive, backstabbing and greedy.

She doesn't need you to defend her against her own actions.

She has to own her mistakes.

[LemonMeringue]

She didn't blink! Maybe she should have. For the sake of her family, the sake of the country, for her own sake. She knew more than anyone how far in over her head she was already as governor.

People bullsh|tting their way through a job interview know exactly what they are doing, and so did she.

And how were the McCain goons to know she would rob them blind?

[Sock]

Campbell Brown's show stinks.

[tsand19151]

agreed....­.....

[AynRand123]

Only on huffpo could Campbell's attack be characterized as a "defense". LOL. How balanced of her...

[ObamAtomic]

Adding to the comments,Palin was a supporter of Obama before picked to be VP

[dlvme2]

I do not know where you got that from as she is a strong supporter of many things that Obama is strongly opposed to so I cannot see her ever supporting him unless she had something very big to gain.

[just4shiggles]

I would like to know which of the allegations have been proven to be "patently false" Ms. Brown. This is the first that I've heard that any of the accusations about Palin have been proven the be false and I'm wondering why you didn't point out exactly which ones you are talking about. Your reporting leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to facts. I think that all of the parties involved in accepting the idea of Palin for the position of vp should be held accountable for their ridiculous choice. She should never have been tapped for the job, and she should never have accepted.

[iralarry]

Notice any similarities in the parties invitation of Joe the Plumber to spokesperson for the GOP and the choice of Sarah Palin for VP? Both grossly unprepared, ill-equipped to be in the position they were thrust into yet both accepting of the role? You are right, SP never should have accepted yet alone been tapped for VP. But how would you respond if given this enormous opportunity, not thinking quite yet the responsibility, to instantly ascend to the highest level of public spotlighting and the power that tags with it? Hard to resist, no?

[nvrachel]

I've been an office receptioni­st/manager my whole life. I know the extent of my experience and knowledge. If I were offered a position as CEO of my company, I know that I am not qualified for it, and would say "thanks, but no thanks" to the offer.

Had Sarah Palin had any intelligence or common sense, she would've said the same thing to the VP position offer, especially since just a month earlier, she had admitted that she didn't know "exactly what a VP does every day". She has as much blame as anyone.

[RRG64]

she didnt know a few months later either!

[jonjon66]

Why doesn't Campbell Brown every sentence with "My Republican Operative husbnd Dan Senor said".....­....then she would at the very least be honest when she says "some Republicans say"

[dkerrice2861]

All I can say is "I know, that I know, that I know" that there is plenty of blame to go around! The blame begins with the idiots who suggested Palin could be passed off as a qualified candidate and were banking on her looks as a distraction ..... but she is to blame for even thinking about taking them up on the offer! She definitely possesses a serious case of narcissism and desperately needed an international stage to showcase it!

[iralarry]

Yea, my magicians beautiful assistant position.

[jemiltd]

You know, I dislike Palin for her character, but in fairness, the RNC and the McCain campaign hold all the responsibility for choosing her, for the thousands of dollars spent on clothes, luggage, makeup, Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. They could have just as easily said we have a $10000 budget for costuming and let her figure it out. I guarantee you that if this reckless expenditure hadn't been outed, she would have kept every stitch purchased. Why else would one be buying silk undershorts for the hubby? And exactly what charity will get the clothes anyway? What would they do with them, besides auctioning them off? (there's an idea.) And eight years will not make her more qualified or change any part of her character. Character change takes concentrated effort by someone who does not like who they've become. Palin likes who she is. The Republicans like who she is because she is them. And the citizens of the US have demonstrated with clarity that character does count.

[estreya]

I'll bet Rudy Giuliani would buy them, if only they were the same size.

[deidrap]

Conservative Republicans may have lauded her as veep candidate out of loyalty to the party but the Republican candidates for Prez in 2012 will rip her to shreds if she decides to run. The current Palin-bashing will pale in comparison to the knives that will be drawn in the next presidential election. I hope Gov. Palin cashes in on her fame with speaking engagements and stays out of politics..­.for everyone's sake.

[dlvme2]

I found it very amusing when Palin said that she hoped they would be donated to a charity in ALASKA - oh! so she could go pick them up at her thrift shop or is it still all about Alaska and her pocketbook.

[dianhow]

But McCain shares much of the blame. He was the one who picked her and also said
" he puts his country first ' In this case.he did not. Pure politics & desparation got the best of John McCain. As far as Palen, she was just not ready for ' prime time " Yet Believe it or not..the news said..
64 % of Repubs still want her as VP !! .Even after knowing she was a heart beat away from the Presidency. That troubles me.. McCain's people ARE cowards for secretly spreading these rumors..sh­ame on them.

[sadiehawkins]

Dear Dianhow,
Mc Cain did put COUNTRY FIRST by making it easy for the American People to appreciate the better ticket OBAMA/BIDEN so don't be too hard on him. Let's send him a thank you card!!

[iralarry]

I believe that McCain was forced to be obsequious, to kowtow to the RNC for the money they gave him. They picked the beautiful SP. Unfortunately, the dream of a presidency, his very very last shot caused him to prostitute himself to the pimp bastards which are the RNC. John, once again, as before took it up the wazoo. It was quite representative of his SNL skit.

Knowing this, it would seem impossible for the republicans to ever, ever be trusted with the welfare of this country. I believe with the death of the RNC will come a new party, an offshoot of the new democrats, a green party of sots, not the fledgling green party we have now, but a more progressive party then even Obama's. He will become disenfranchised as he attempts to put forth his dynamic agenda and meet resistance within its ranks. Just you wait.

[boomerman]

Palin will be back stronger than ever,even as Obama expends the political capital that he has earned, that's how it has always worked and is the real genius of the Founding Fathers. A political structure that reigns in extremism and pushes toward the center. Governing is a much more difficult enterprise than campaigning. The pendulum will eventually swing back the other way. While the election of an African American to the presidency is a great achievement that could not happen anywhere else in the world, in spite of how all of you think this is such a terrible country. There is nothing revolutionary about his policy ideas. I wish him the best of luck in keeping this country safe and prosperous, Lord knows we need him to be successful. He is another example of why the United States of America is the greatest nation and the best idea the world has ever had.