John McCain Compares Sarah Palin To Ronald Reagan (VIDEO)

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) drew a comparison between Sarah Palin and former President Ronald Reagan when asked about his 2008 presidential running mate being seen as a divisive force in American politics.

"I think anybody that has the visibility that Sarah has is obviously going to have some divisiveness," explained the longtime senator to CNN's Candy Crowley. "I remember that a guy named Ronald Reagan used to be viewed by some as divisive."

McCain went on to praise Palin for her influence on the direction of the Republican party.

"I think she's doing great job," he said. "I think she's motivating our base. I think she had a positive impact on the last election and I'm proud of her."

Palin recently compared herself to Reagan during an appearance on Fox News. Just days earlier, Michael Reagan, son of the former president, ripped Palin as "too polarizing to be elected the President of the United States of America."

As for whether McCain anticipates that Palin will mount a bid for the White House in 2012, the Republican lawmaker said on CNN that he believes the former Alaska governor is "keeping her options open."

WATCH:

Comments

[judgeinmillvalley]

10:39 AM on 12/20/2010

McCain's statements come in as cleaning up his mistake in choosing her in the first place. Ronald Reagan? One can say with accuracy that he forgot more than she'll ever know.

[Cecelia Vega]

08:15 PM on 12/04/2010

Belly up to your mistake Mr Mccain.......the public will admire you for that...if you don't you will always be remembered as SP sidekick

[niradesigns]

03:26 PM on 12/04/2010

John McCain is still bitter about losing the election. He feels respnsible for creating this non-intellectual political ingrate... Both of them should ride off into the sunset. The country would be better off.

[Larry Getty]

03:00 PM on 12/01/2010

Poor McCain. He has really gone off the edge. Weird, lying, flip flopping double dealing, can't admit he made a mistake with her. I am shocked that AZ reelected this old man.

[mancoff]

11:16 AM on 12/01/2010

John McCain who went from being a Hero, to being a self serving Presidential Candidate who foist Sarah Palin upon this country, and now has become simply another "smarmy" politician who puts Party first, Country be dammed. You are only a hero as long as you behave like one, McCain has lost his Hero status and it was his choice to do so.

[HF46]

05:07 AM on 12/01/2010

this is a test post

[hmmmmmer]

09:41 PM on 11/30/2010

John McSame is a loser.

[stryker]

06:17 PM on 11/30/2010

Comparison to Reagan? What, senility?

[Dolores Jones]

06:22 PM on 12/01/2010

No. They are both Actors.

[dartagnan]

03:46 PM on 11/30/2010

Actually the comparison is not far-fetched. They were/are both snake-oil salesmen with absolutely no substance. Reagan, however, had at least been the real governor of a real state. And intellectually Reagan was Pitt the Elder compared with the utterly vacuous Caribou Barbie.

[CarolinaYankee]

12:16 PM on 12/01/2010

true  fanned

[Scottretired]

03:11 PM on 11/30/2010

John McCain has become a total embarrassment, not only to himself, but also to the whole breath of the Republican Party and it's supporters. No republican will openly say so, but, without a doubt, each and everyone of them wishes McCain had lost his re-election in the mid-terms. I should add, with the exception of two longtime friends, those being, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, both of which by nopw must assurredly be getting tired of supporting him and his ever increasing lunacy.

The Democrats love him for his flip flops, mistatements, forgetfulness, lost sense of ideals and dignity. However, it is his ever changing rantings of ------------

I'm a maverick, I'm not a maverick, I'm a maverick, I'm not a maverick

put up the fence, take down the fence, put up the fence, take down the fence

I'm for DADT, I'm against DADT, I'm for DADT, I'm against DADT,

all of which really gives usl a good laugh at his and the republican partys expense.


As to Ronald Reagan,I'm always amazed when Republicans seem to put Ronald Reagan on some sort of pedestal. I'm a Democrat, but if I were a Republican, I think that I would rate Dwight Eisenhower as being a much better Republican President than Reagan ever was. In my humble opinion, even Richard "I'm Not A Crook" Nixson would/should rate higher than Reagan,

[rougebaisers]

02:46 PM on 11/30/2010

Why does anyone listen to this crazy old man anymore?

[enigma2]

12:27 PM on 12/01/2010

He's not crazy per se.. but he is out to lunch.

[blackmouth]

01:50 PM on 11/30/2010

You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

[rougebaisers]

02:46 PM on 11/30/2010

Oh, please please please don't put any lipstick on old johnny.

[morefromLA]

01:25 PM on 11/30/2010

Now it's time to test the good senator to see how far his dementia has progressed.

[Stephanie Eaton Agosta]

04:46 PM on 11/30/2010

hey grandpa, can I get you anything?

[exile]

01:22 PM on 11/30/2010

maybe little johnny can run as palin's vp

[rbeck]

01:14 PM on 11/30/2010

This woman's incredibly simplistic view of the world and her problem solving skills should scare the heck out of everybody. How she equates all internatio­nal problems back to her own personal life is absolutely mind blowing. It's the same with her North Korean gaff. Again, her view to solving the issue was simple minded, not to mention it was obvious she didn't have a clue as to what the issues are between North and South Korea, nor did she have a clue as to what she was saying. This is dangerous for this country. This is the kind of stupid Palin nonsense that media flocks to. Chris Mathews drooling all over her is an embarrassm­ent. But the more these media outlets give her a platform, the more she spews this ignorant hate filled rants. The more we look like red neck loosers to other countries. They already laugh at us for even giving this woman the time of day. The media has Sarah Palin convinced that she is a star, that she is important, that she is the king or queen maker, that she is smart and that she is creditable­. I hope the media also takes responsibi­lity if this woman gets any where close to the White House. Wont be so funny then, would it....Ah yes, proud to be an American

[dartagnan]

03:47 PM on 11/30/2010

"How she equates all internatio­­nal problems back to her own personal life is absolutely mind blowing."

Because in her mind she is the center of the universe. Narcissists are like that. All politicians have a little narcissism in them, but with Palin it's pathological.

[Stephanie Eaton Agosta]

04:47 PM on 11/30/2010

if she looked like Janet Reno, they would never focus on her - truth.