Bristol Palin Defends Sarah Palin VP Pick

Bristol Palin doesn't think anyone should be encouraging Mitt Romney to make a safer VP pick than John McCain did in 2008.

"Mom answered the call to serve her country, energized the base, and inspired millions," she wrote in a new blog post. "Plus, she did it with good humor and grace. I don’t know what else she could’ve reasonably be expected to do."

Bristol criticizes outlets like the Washington Post and Talking Points Memo that warn Romney against choosing another rogue running mate. She goes on to defend her mom's short but memorable time on the campaign trail:

Take a good look at this list of polls. Shortly after Senator McCain picked my mom, the polls turned favorable. But he lost the lead for good the week he suspended his campaign, and we never got it back. Not in a single poll.

But even then, my Mom helped. A lot. She raised millions of dollars that helped us fight hard until the last moment. And Senator McCain actually performed better among those for whom the “Palin Pick” was very important to their vote. Immediate post-election polling shows a large majority of Republicans thought my mom helped Senator McCain and more than 90% had a favorable or very favorable view of her.

Some Republican strategists agree that Romney will play it safe and choose someone who is fully vetted and controversy-free. HuffPost's Jon Ward reported:

Interviews with GOP insiders and those involved with the Romney campaign underscore the conventional wisdom: Most people expect the presidential race to remain tight, as a new New York Times/CBS News poll showed it to be on Thursday morning. If that trend continues this summer, it would increase the likelihood of a do-no-harm pick by Romney and reduce the chances that this already cautious candidate with a risk-averse campaign would go out on a limb.