John McCain Stands By Sarah Palin Pick

McCain Explains Palin Pick, Has Advice For Mitt

2008 GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) stood behind his pick for vice-president of then-Alaska governor Sarah Palin Wednesday.

CNN's John King asked him why he vetted Romney but picked Palin. "Well, I thought at the time that we needed a catalyst. We needed an energizer, which we got. As soon as she spoke at our Republican Convention we were up by three points. She energized our base. That’s what I thought we needed at the time. She had experience as a governor and she obviously had an enormous amount of charisma," he said. "And I thought it was really -- and I still do think it was the right choice at that time, and I’m still very proud to have had her as my running mate."

The Huffington Post's Howard Fineman reported that Romney was knocked off the veep shortlist after McCain speechwriter Mark Salter pointed out the two owned 14 houses between them.

However, McCain said 2012 might be different. "The circumstances may be very different for Gov. Romney when he has to decide, and that is why I don’t presume to tell him who he should -- who he should choose. But he does have a good bench."

Politico recently reported that Romney's vice-presidential strategy is to avoid a repeat of the disastrous Palin pick of 2008, or as one campaign official told the outlet, pick an "incredibly boring white guy."

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