(Jake Turcotte)
McCain won’t endorse Palin for 2012
By Jimmy Orr | 12.14.08
Discussions of a Palin presidency already?
It happened this morning when ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos asked John McCain if he would endorse a Sarah Palin run for the presidency in 2012.
Uhhh….
McCain gave Palin the equivalent of a “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup line when responding to the ABC host.
“I have the greatest of appreciation for Governor Palin and her family,” he said. “It was a great joy to know them. She invigorated our campaign. She was just down in Georgia and invigorated that campaign.”
“But I can’t say something like that,” he went on. “We’ve got some other great young governors.”
“I think you are going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party,” he said, citing Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Utah Governor John Huntsman.
Hang on, John…
Stephanopoulos wouldn’t let McCain off the hook though. After all, just over a month ago McCain was touting Palin to be the best person - save himself - to take the reins of the most powerful country in the world.
“Have no doubt for my admiration and respect for her and my view of her viability. But at this stage, my corpse is still warm,” he said to much laughter.
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2. chicagopearl | 12.14.08
I have less respect for McCain now than when he ran for the Office of President. Can’t tell you just how relieved I am that he didn’t win. The NY Times did a nice article on which State is the most corrupt. Surprisingly, Illinois isn’t even close to being number one. McCain needs to take a seat and start focusing on what he can do to help his State and our Country - unless that is, he plans on switching careers.
3. David | 12.14.08
“But at this stage, my corpse is still warm” and, Snuffleupagus couldn’t wait to twist the knife.
4. Golgo Brone | 12.14.08
McCain’s response to the question of Gov. Palin needs no reply. His lack of commitment to his own candidacy and his running mate has been proven out. Even more important is the fact that an endorsement of Palin will not be needed from McCain for any her further aspirations. It will not even have meaningful rhetoric for her opposition, whether it is from the elite GOP or the Democrats. The fact of the matter is the GOP needs her now. She has the ability to divide the party or not with a cold north wind at her beckoning, but it is not her choice to divide; it is the GOP that will need to weigh its next move, not Gov. Palin. As for McCain, he said it himself, he is a politically dead “corpse.”
5. JudiNV | 12.14.08
This is the real McCain. He may have come across as a gutter rat during his campaign, but that’s how his people chose to run the campaign. He’s a jerk for buying into it, no doubt about it. But now that it’s over, it seems he’s got a great mission: championing unity between the parties. I look to hear more of this from him in the next few weeks. It kinda brings me back some respect for the old guy. Carry on, soldier!
6. Matt | 12.14.08
It was really tacky for Steph to ask that question. Did Steph have John Kerry on his show right after the 2004 election, and did he demand that Kerry immediately endorse John Edwards for president in 2008? Of course not.
7. JAn | 12.14.08
How can McCain endorse Palin when he won’t be around? The Media had him dying during his Presidency? Not a quick thinker.
8. Adam | 12.14.08
The NYT article about the “most corrupt state” took its own metrics to task—the entire point of the article was to show that the argument over which state is most corrupt is crude and useless blog-fodder. While Florida has the highest number of convictions, it says nothing about the kind of conviction and makes no normalization for the fact that Florida has a large population. Adjustments to this statistic are only more laughable. To quote the author, Bill Marsh, “There are several ways to gauge levels of government corruption, all of them a bit, well, corrupt.”
9. cecil | 12.14.08
Now what would anyone with a brain think he would say? Four years in the future and he is supposed to make an endorsement already? This piece is just a carrot on a stick so the Jacka$$ Party can post some more of their standard bile.
10. becca | 12.14.08
I don’t watch any of these talking heads. But there is one thing that I hold true: Anyone who would endorse Palin for president of this country would either have the hidden agenda of “installing” a puppet……like Florida helped do in 2000, OR they would be INSANE.
RIP…GOP.
11. James Falcione | 12.14.08
Palin has nothing to offer. She is an empty headed moron
who is totally clueless to real-world issues.
12. norma | 12.14.08
IF J.McCain looks back,and is honest,he will see that he lost the election not SARAH PALIN. HE DID NOT BRING THE PARTY TOGETHER TO REALLY GIVE HER THE SUPPORT NEEDED.
13. jethromayham | 12.14.08
John will not endorse Palin because she and her people turned renegade on him. They had their own agenda when they thought the bought was sinking (it did). hahaha.
Palin is played up to be a contender but you can forget it. There are too many level-headed talent out there that can out shine her on a sunny day.
14. Luc | 12.14.08
Don’t you have any other subjects to talk about?? We are in the worst economical times, we just finished over 2 years of excruciating campaign and you are talking about 2012????? Give me a break!
15. Angel | 12.14.08
The worm turns! If only Huckabee hadn’t bowed out so quickly!!! Well, hopefully there will be another day– if we have any days left after O’s reign!!!
17. Laurel Federbush | 12.14.08
McCain didn’t say he wouldn’t endorse her, he’s just being realistic about the fact that the political landscape will be different at the time of the next election, and it’s wise to see what the future holds. He made a point of complimenting Palin and said nothing to detract from her. It was a reasonable response.
18. yohon | 12.15.08
Some good comments by all. I live in Illinois and we cant seem to get a dog catcher that is honest.John and Sara,oh gee,golly John boy were you going to stick us with her.The american people spoke on that one.At least George B, and J M are trying to do their job in the end.Jonn is not ducking shoes tho!Shock and awe from a shoe? Of course Sara has to face Russia alone up north.Will no one in Alaska help her and the 1st man? lol
19. Californian | 12.15.08
Let’s finally acknowledge: a chance marriage out of desperation does not create a good family. McCain was desperate and ruined his run for presidency. Palin got what she needed to rise to her stardom (comical, cynical and hopefully, short), she does not need McCain anymore and McCain can move on being an OK senator after being a terrible presidential candidate.
Years of executive experience do not do any good if it is a bad executive experience, like Palin’s in Alaska.
Years of military experience of a fighter pilot do not create a good commander-in-chief.
I am glad McCain is waking up after coma and realizing what a dumb thing it was to pick Palin after 15-minute phone conversation.
Empress has no clothes.
20. jtinman | 12.15.08
John McCain is an American Hero who is now deeply regretting having that idiot Palin foisted on him.
21. Ivan | 12.15.08
Funny you dems are beating up on him for not supporting Palin when your hero Al Gore did the same thing to Lieberman. Hippocracy. Illinois didn’t turn up as corrupt by NYT? That’s because the NYT only reports corruption is disapproves of.
22. JP | 12.15.08
McCain had to suspend his better judgment for the sake of a sleazy campaign culminating in the selection of a cynical, divisive, dingbat partisan for VP. Now, after a horrible campaign, he can be frank. Palin is NOT presidential material; she has anything but the country’s best interest in mind.
23. Karen | 12.15.08
McCain is just a little late at getting a clue about what American voters figured out before they voted November 4th. Why hitch your name and reputation to a 5-watt bulb when there are numerous 100-watt options?
24. Bill | 12.15.08
McCain is a jerk and this is only more proof of what most know. I voted for Palin, a Republican, not McCain a gutless independent / democrat.
25. Katie | 12.15.08
I can’t believe how McCain and his staffers have thrown Sarah Palin under the bus! She was the only reason the popular race wasn’t as big of a landslide as the electoral! This is disgraceful! Maybe politicos don’t believe in her, but the American people do! And that is just what we need, someone who makes Washington scared! Come on Sarah lets shake things up!! Every day I look at my Sarah Palin calendar and I am inspired to fight! She will make it to the White House! (the calendar by the way, is on amazon, and is GORGEOUS!! it also makes a great gift!!) SARAH PALIN 2012!!
26. Esther Morgenstern | 12.16.08
McCain is old and washed up. He has never been an effective person, always just mediocre.– Without Sarah he wouldn’t have gotten any votes, because everyone really voted for Sarah not McCain.–Sarah Palin is a dynamic and beautiful woman, and should she run for president in 2012, we will support her all the way….
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. bill nye | 12.14.08
It’s StephanopoUlos …