In an interview scheduled to air in full on ABC tomorrow, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that while he personally likes Sarah Palin, it was a mistake for John McCain
to choose her as his running mate in 2008 because based on her
political background, she was not ready to fill that position at the
time.
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When first prompted by Jonathan Karl about how Mitt Romney
could handle the vice presidential search differently from how McCain
handled it, Cheney said he thought the 2008 process “wasn’t
well-handled.” Recalling his own experience running the vice
presidential selection process, Cheney explained that there are two
lists: the big list, which anyone can get on (and, as Cheney revealed,
sometimes politicians want to be on the big list just to get a boost in
their home state), and the small list, which is more concentrated and
focuses on the likeliest candidates.
Karl asked Cheney if reaching out to certain demographics of voters
plays an important role in the selection process. Cheney admitted it is a
factor, but said it should never be a deciding one. He then addressed
the 2008 election and spoke candidly about the choice of Palin to run
alongside McCain.
“I like Governor Palin. I’ve met her, I know her. She’s an 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.”