Dick Cheney: Picking Sarah Palin for VP Was 'A Mistake'

Yahoo/ABC News ^ | Jonathan Karl

[dirtboy]

Dick Cheney has some advice for Mitt Romney on choosing a running mate: Don't pick another Sarah Palin.

In his first interview since receiving a heart transplant in March, Cheney told ABC News, that John McCain's decision to pick Palin as his running mate in 2008 was "a mistake" - one that it is important from Romney not to repeat.

It's subject on which Cheney has some unique experience. He helped Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush lead their vice presidential searches and, of course, served as vice president for eight years. He's also privately offered some advice to both Romney and Beth Myers, who is leading Romney's search for a runningmate, on the process.

Cheney would not comment on what he told Romney and Myers, but he was harsh in his assessment of McCain's decision to pick Palin.

"That one," Cheney said, "I don't think was well handled."

"The test to get on that small list has to be, 'Is this person capable of being president of the United States?'"

Cheney believes Sarah Palin failed that test.

"I like Governor Palin. I've met her. I know her. She - attractive candidate. But based on her background, she'd only been governor for, what, two years. I don't think she passed that test…of being ready to take over. And I think that was a mistake."

[1rudeboy]

Now I’m quaking in my boots. What are ya gonna’ do, shake your cane at me?

[dragnet2]

These clowns gave us all the debt, two wars, and Obama. Go away!

Ya, but apparently that takes a degree of experience and skill.

[mkjessup]

Ya young whippersnapper, I’ll dance on your grave! lol

[1rudeboy]

Don’t take checks you can’t cash, old man. (Nice to be called “sonny boy,” though).

[mkjessup]

“Age and Treachery will always overcome Youth and Skill.” :)

[1rudeboy]

Unless the youth is treacherous, of course. That leaves age. Making one, well, old.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

I am not a ‘Cheney hater’, as you, Mr Jessup, would suggest. Others in this thread made an excellent point, had GWB picked a running mate for his second term physically and otherwise qualified to be a viable candidate in 2008, it is quite possible that the Bummer would not have been elected. We all know that Juan was not a viable candidate.

I am also not quick to defend Palin. It is not important. And I do not think she should have been the candidate this time around. Time will soon tell if Mitt picks his running mate wisely. And hopefully Mitt really wants to win this thing...I do not think Juan had his heart in winning from the git-go, but ‘why’ is a puzzlement.

[cva66snipe]

Cheney helped pick himself? That was a dumb idea considering his second term as VP kept a possible VP from running for POTUS in 2008 and left the door wide open for McCain. McCain was the mistake of 2008.

Cheney as VP was in no way physically up to being POTUS and should have stepped down shortly after the 2004 election. Yea he's a real expert on picking a VP alright. I wonder if Ford picking Nelson Rockefeller as the VP was Cheney's idea also?

[meadsjn]

You should have asked THEM for a donation to the TEA Party. WE aren’t going to join them, so they should just join US.

I will definitely be using that one next time they call.

[circumbendibus]

Wow, dirtboy, you’ve really excited the base with this thread on Sarah.

I wish we could get the same response on an eligibility thread. It will take someone with the courage AND track record of Sarah Palin to really clean house on both sides of the aisle after this election

[Carry_Okie]

Even if the link for that source were good,

I have tested it three times before posting and again. It worked every time. Because it is to a specific post on FR, you do have to wait a bit.

[Chgogal]

Yeah poor DumbAss Cheney! Why did he even mention Palin? News Flash Cheney - She ain't running. DumbAss Cheney had to stab a conservative in the back for no reason on a national liberal show. Now it's playing locally over and over again. What exactly did DumbAss Cheney gain by attacking Palin?

Instead he could have said the same thing about Obama, but no, he had to insult Palin. And I am NOT going to take it back. It was a stupid think for him to say. What a jerk! What a disappointment!

[mkjessup]

Unless the youth is treacherous, of course. That leaves age. Making one, well, old.

Youth always deludes itself with illusions of it's invulnerability.

[mkjessup]

I am not a ‘Cheney hater’, as you, Mr Jessup, would suggest.

Your post #333 suggests otherwise.

[mkjessup]

Yeah poor DumbAss Cheney! Why did he even mention Palin? News Flash Cheney - She ain't running. DumbAss Cheney had to stab a conservative in the back for no reason on a national liberal show. Now it's playing locally over and over again. What exactly did DumbAss Cheney gain by attacking Palin?
Instead he could have said the same thing about Obama, but no, he had to insult Palin. And I am NOT going to take it back. It was a stupid think for him to say. What a jerk! What a disappointment!

If Dick Cheney keeled and died due to a blood clot from that new heart of his, you would probably giggle, cheer and say "serves him RIGHT!" now wouldn't you?

[9YearLurker]

No, I’m talking about the source you list in your post—footnote 13.

[Carry_Okie]

While I cannot be responsible for the continuity of a link, you could certainly have tried finding the data yourself. It took me about thirty seconds to find this one:

Alaska faced a $1.65 billion budget shortfall for fiscal year 2009[1] and a similar shortfall for fiscal year 2010, $1.25 billion, in light of drops in oil revenue.[2] In early January 2009 Senate President Gary Stevens stated that the state was facing a budget deficit as large as $2 to $3 billion for FY 2010. [3] The state budget spending-versus-revenue gap is largely due to a decline in the price of oil. In December 2008 state officials anticipated a $388.7 million surplus for FY 2010 but in just two months revenues dropped.[2] In response to the state budget crisis Gov. Sarah Palin proposed that the state draw on reserves. A total of $1.36 billion and approximately $1.2 billion are estimated to be withdrawn for FY 2009 and FY 2010 respectively. “Responsible reductions and prudent use of reserve funds that we had set aside for tougher times will help us weather the storm,” said Palin. The includes Constitutional Budget Reserve totals $7 billion. [4]

The source links for the above quote are available here

[9YearLurker]

You’re quoting sources in the midst of the global financial crisis and the middle of her term. She forward funded a lot of state spending and built up the state’s reserves. You’re just all wrong to go after her about her fiscal record as governor and I don’t know what so motivates you.

[Carry_Okie]

You’re quoting sources in the midst of the global financial crisis and the middle of her term.

You said she cut spending. I showed you otherwise. She was only there two years, and ran out before TSHTF.

You’re just all wrong to go after her about her fiscal record as governor and I don’t know what so motivates you.

All wrong eh? No, the budget of the State of Alaska says you are wrong.

Look, when she showed up at the convention in 2008 I was all for her. Then I did my homework and witnessed her choices, particularly endorsing Fiorina over DeVore in California. I winced at her appearances on TV, blathering little more than pabulum, repeatedly, waiting in vain for some sign of depth. Nice to look at, but little substance. Hence, as to why I don't like her, she's a grandstanding cheer leader whose record is not nearly as conservative as advertised offering blandishments so vague as to be capable of translating into anything when it comes to hard choices. Wasn't her string RINO endorsements enough for you?

[9YearLurker]

You didn’t show otherwise. You’re quoting from a source from her first year in office, I showed you numbers over all her budgets—of which she got three years through.

I take it you don’t live in a purple or blue state, where sometimes you’ve got to go with the most electable—or the Dems entirely get their way.

And yeah, I wish she’d do more wonk-speak in her appearances, but it is the general principles that she connects with people on—and better than any other conservative pol out there—and her actions are all wonk accomplishment.

I’m not a reality TV/celebrity-type fan, and I’d rather she’d spent her time making less money but working putting out serious policy papers on energy and the global economy at the AEI. I also wish she spoke more clearly and strongly against illegal immigration, rather than cutely, like McCain and most in the GOP do. But I don’t get to micromanage the career paths of our political leaders.

You ought to go and double check your work on her gubernatorial record—and you’ll see that she did more cutting than any of our national-class pols has ever done. She was hugely popular in the voting booth in Wasilla, and grew the town, which is what the residents wanted, by building infrastructure and making it more business friendly.

If you didn’t have some sort of personally-motivated antipathy toward her, you’d see she has a better record of cost-cutting and executive governing than anyone else we have in the national arena.