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

[boomerman]

Losing is the best possible outcome for Sarah Palin. Other than the first Bush who only served one term, when was the last time a VP was elected to the Presidency ? I can't think of one other than in the last century. The job is a political dead end. ( You could count Nixon but he was out of office for 8 yrs before the election. Usually the current President has used up all of his political capital by the end of his second term. )

Obama's speech at the 2004 convention thrust him into prominence and that's when he began to seriously see a future for himself and began to study issues and policy and spent the next 4 years on his run to the Presidency, ignoring the job the people of Illinois elected him for.
I expect that Mrs. Palin will do the same over the next 4 years and is in a much better position in the opposition than she would be in an administration. She will be prepared the next time and I know that's what scares all of you because while this was a strong win for Obama it was not a blowout. 56 million people voted for McCain/Palin.

[AlaskanWannaB]

The only problem: Palin lacks intellectual curiosity, intelligence and compassion. She will not be a serious contender for 2012. She does not have the right attitude and, again, who is going to vote for her. The 20 to 30 percent of the population that voted for her this time. Why would you want to thrust such an inept person on the American people.

[lisakaz2]

We know they didn't really vet her. Nonetheless, given how Palin's limitations were exposed, you have to wonder why she didn't decline. She seems incapable of self-awareness. She thinks her bs answers were enough -- and maybe in some circumstances they would be. But not right now. The economic meltdown ensured many voters saw it clear as day. If mc-samey had been able to keep on that "fundamentals of the economy are strong" garbage, he might even have pulled this off. Who knows. But the economy ensured ppl got over the distractions (or more did; can't say for sure since I think there was probably selective fraud in some states in an effort to swing the elections; you can't tell me ppl in democratic OH districts voted in less #s than 2004).

[norkas]

Mc Cain selected Sarah Palin and Sarah did not have the common sense to ask herself if that spending of so much money for herself and family represented her and the way she says she always portrayed herself .

This was Mc Cains fault for the selection and if the story is true about the out of control spending of Sarah Palin then that is Sarah Palins fault.

Sarah Palin the Extreme Right Wing which makes me and many other Republicans shutter that is why so many voted for Barak Obama.

Sarah Palin represents the hatred of the extreme right wing and proved it in her campaiging that kept baiting people with extreme hatred for many in humanity.

Yes Mc Cain and his stff made the selection but Sarah Palin allowed the extreme right to rear there ugly head and continued feeding them the hate they thrive off on. That is Sarah Palins fault and that is the real Sarah Palin sadly.

[blakfist]

the problem here or fault I shall say lies with Mrs. Palin as well, because as much as she made of the "hubris" statement towards Obama, she could have said NO when the call came to her. Because of her vanity she accepted the call thinking SHE was the one to win this election, SHE allowed the glowing words that the Republican Campaign undoubtedly showered her with get to her head and she started to believe them. SHE was the person responsible for her lack of knowledge on simple issues asked of her by the various News people. SHE was the reason her approval rating spiraled downward out of control because of her dingy responses and overtalked interviews.

I am in no way defending the McCain Camp but it just shows that their choice of her from the get go was a plot and nothing more than a scam to foll the American people and SHE went right along with it

[Fedupwithpalin]

Campbell, you half way hit the nail on the head, so save the campaign bashing for another time and audience. Don't forget, Sara was just as ready to satisfy her own greed and self serving ego as well. She could have turned down the offer and considered her family which included a special needs infant who despartely needed bonding. He was only 4-5 months old. She dilberately exposed her family to such scrunity and embarrasment. That was NOT the campaigns fault. She knew what she was doing and she knew she was not qualified. So it goes both ways. Trust me, she still has enough venom in her and will attack back at the campaign all the way from Alaska.

[Liberalrep1980]

lol, gotta admit that she said it pretty point blank.

[theprez21]

You betcha Campbell. They picked her!

[jodieez]

Mc cain thought he had a ace up his sleeves, but it turned out he was asleep at the switch. Now he has an albatross around his neck and every day she adds fuel to the fire. Now mc cain is between the devil and the deep blue sea, between a rock and a hard place so now he has to bite the bullet and go back to square one.

mc cain you bought a pig in a poke, and you are hanging on by the skin of your teeth, the handwriting is on the wall, you tried to make a silk purse of of a sow's ear.

when you play with fire mr mc cain you will get burned. this is just the tip of the iceberg. so we are waiting for the other shoes to drop

Well the other shoes dropped, along with the dresses, coats, and here staff.

Here is John McCain's own description of his mode of decision-making: "I make them as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can. OFTEN MY HASTE is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint

MC CAIN YOU GOT BURNED!!!!!!!!

[skorpeo]

absolutely!!!! the gop political machine has now folded in on itself, and has become the dragon eating it's own tail!! the gop advisors can't function unless they have clearly pointed to an enemy, ANY enemy, with whom they can create the neverending "us vs. them" scenario.

"we have met the enemy, and he is US!!"

[Brooklyn49]

Not that long ago, a popular Republican mantra was "Just say no." Had John McCain invoked it before squandering his reputation as a war hero, a maverick, and an essentially honorable man, all because of ambition, none of this would have happened. Had the RNC and the Republican party invoked it before choosing to appeal to the lowest of human impulses, none of this would have happened. And had Sarah Palin exercised even the most minimal self-assessment at some point in August, none of this would have happened. The ugliness that was the hallmark of the McCain camp's approach to this election continues; the fact that that ugliness is now turned inward should not be noteworthy.

[Rhia]

I just realized that Sarah Palin might be envious of Barack Obama's fortunes after his famous 2004 DNC speech. Obama was propelled to limelight after that event. But the difference is Obama has the brains. He does not need to be coached especially on how to answer policy questions. He has also the judgment and common sense to even ask why he was picked to speak during the convention as compared to Sarah who did not even blink when the VP nomination was offered to her.

[bored2tears]

Just as ignorance of the law is no excuse for a criminal's conduct, neither is naivete an excuse for the circumstances in which Sarah Palin finds herself now.

No one could have been more aware of Palin's shortcomings as a Vice-Presidential candidate than Palin herself. Yet she chose, "without blinking," to accept the McCain campaign's offer.

For anyone who seeks elected office to claim surprise at how campaigns -- especially losing ones -- become feeding frenzies is either disingenuous or stupid. Stupidity is *not* an excuse for accepting a job for which one is not prepared.

Palin saw a chance at the brass ring and took it. That she has to deal with the consequences of her choice is not "unfair." It is simple justice.

[mfred1]

Exactly. She may not be a diva but she is the queen of hubris. Combine that with a total lack of insight and you get Sarah Palin.

[KyotoProto]

I'm happy to see that advantage-taker being thrown under the bus. She has shown herself to be a classic barracuda in a small pond and we can only hope that she slinks on back into the great north woods and finds some predator greater than she and disappears from the natonal spotlight for good. If this election has shown anything, it's just how unqualified so many of our elected leaders are to lead anything outside of an HOA, and god help us if we co-reside with one of those.

I say throw her under a fleet of buses and...git her done.

Yee-Haw!

[lisakaz2]

She's not "cursed" with self-awareness (as per Bull Durham) and has no clue she has shortcomings. Like Booo$hie, she won't admit to 'em, either,, hence Brown's view of how "unfair" this all is -- like it's unfair that she was born a few sandwiches short.

[trisha08]

Several have sadi that they are starting to feel bad for Palin. I don't. Palin said YES without even thinking about the offer.

I think Palin was using McCain as much as McCain was using Palin. Palin wanted to get in the National spotlight (read story in the New Yorker about the picking of Palin), and McCain provided the fast train to national attention. I don't think for a minute that she was is a victim.

Plus, she has to own her responsibility in this. She spent all that money on clothes and stuff for the family. Come on, would lower ranking aides be buying silk underwear for Todd? Plus, she has a history of charging other for "benefits" for her family such as charging taxpayers for her children's travel.

[ckfan]

The McCain camp is going about this the wrong way. They should be upset with Palin because once she accepted the nomination, she never made an attempt to increase her knowledge about McCain's positions, about domestic and international affairs.

Colin Powell used the phrase "intellectual vigor" to describe Obama. Palin has no intellectual vigor. That was always her problem. She thought she could bull her way through this nomination by giving beauty queen answers to complex questions. Answers like - "such as, where as" - that's what beauty queens do.

THANK GOD America saw through that and elected an intelligent man to be the leader of our country.

[lisakaz2]

Indeed. I found it quite ironic that the tr0llz considered o'bama an "empty suit" given SP's vapidity.

[UULouie]

It's amazing to see the very people who picked Sarah Plain as the VP nominee are now trying to cover for their obvious lack of thorough vetting.

I do agree with Ms. Brown; she's simply calling out those who failed to remember in a democracy one must do their homework...whether your in the voting population, on a campaign staff, or a nominee. You've got to get involved and you've got to do your research...to make the best decision. If not, you get what you put into it...

Seems to me that the GOP failed to do their homework in many aspects this election. Someone with so many issues shouldn't have been selected....talk of hate only divides us.

[OneArizonan]

Overall, I agree with Ms. Brown. However, she might also mention that Ms. Palin could have had the judgment, the common sense, to admit that she is not qualified to be the leader of the free world. Ms. Palin was elated to be selected as a political prop and a celebrity, but is so thin-skinned that she believes the constitution should protect her from criticism.