John McCain was on Jay Leno tonight for his first public appearance since the election last week. Read about it below and see the video.
John McCain on Jay Leno
I was very pleased that John McCain used a portion of his first interview following the election to defend Sarah Palin. I think he could have gone further, but it appears to me that he sees the hubbub about her wardrobe, etc as being silly nonsense that’s hardly worth talking about.
As he said, everybody who says something ‘anonymously’ to the press is suddenly a ‘top adviser’ or ‘high up in the Republican Party’. He did, however, have nothing but praise for Palin and her family. He didn’t think that the outcome would have been different with someone else as his running mate and he believes she along with some others will be the future leaders of the Republican Party. He named Bobby Jindal and Tim Pawlenty in particular.
LOS ANGELES — John McCain said Tuesday that Sarah Palin did not damage his presidential bid, and he dismissed as typical campaign sniping anonymous criticism aimed at her following their crushing defeat.
“I’m so proud of her and I’m very grateful she agreed to run with me. She inspired people, she still does,” McCain told Jay Leno during an “Tonight Show” interview taped for broadcast Tuesday night. “I couldn’t be happier with Sarah Palin.”
Asked by Leno about griping about Palin from unidentified McCain operatives in the days following the election, the Arizona senator said, “These things happen in campaigns.
“I think I have at least a thousand, quote, top advisers,” he scoffed. “A top adviser said? I’ve never even heard of … a top adviser or high-ranking Republican official.”
However, McCain never directly addressed the embarrassing controversy over Palin’s expensive campaign wardrobe purchased by the Republican National Committee, or statements by unidentified McCain aides who have reportedly said she was not prepared on foreign policy.
The Alaska governor has said in interviews she did not ask for, or want, the $150,000-plus wardrobe for her and her family.
He disputed that a different vice presidential pick would have changed the outcome against Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
At campaign rallies, “The people were very excited and inspired by her. That’s what really mattered, I think,” McCain said. “She’s a great reformer.”
McCain’s appearance at Leno’s Burbank studio was scheduled to coincide with Veterans Day. It was the former naval aviator’s 14th appearance on “The Tonight Show” but his first TV interview as a vanquished presidential candidate.
John McCain on Jay Leno - Video
November 12th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Beth, I too love that McCain took up for Sarah Palin. But don’t you think it’s perhaps time for them to go their separate ways? Is McCain’s disavowal going to help her at all now? In fact, it’s more fodder for the liberal illuminati MSM to smear her with. I think her job now is to break free from past associations and this defunct campaign and focus on running hard for the 2012 race, in her own right.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:38 am
That’s a good point A. I did feel that he needed to make a statement out of his own mouth (as opposed to having his staff make a statement). But you are right. She can fend for herself and she needs to separate from the campaign.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Of course he’s going to defend Sarah Palin to save face. He knows he made a mistake but won’t own up to it. Members in his own party deserted him because of her, even major GOP newspapers endorsed Obama instead of him, because of her. She was an embarassment to his whole campaign and he knows it.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:44 am
jasmine - you are wrong.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
>>jasmine - you are wrong.>>>
No disrespect to you beth, but he had a candidate that ran with him and people literally said “they did not vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin”, even Colin Powell clearly stated that she was not qualified. Also, despite all the hard campaigning that she did, she was not allowed to address the people when McCain gave his consession speach. If he thought that much of her, or had respect, McCain would have allowed her to speak, but he didn’t. He knows full well that she ruined it for him. He lost so much when he thought Palin would get the Hillary votes, and she didn’t.
Her racist rallies, and lies and blaming everybody else for her mistakes. Attacking, taunting, lieing and only trying to appeal to one segment of our society, and not trying to reach out to the minorities or people of color, makes for a person that has no business ever in life trying to run for any office in the United States government!
November 12th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
[...] controversy about what McCain said, and didn’t say, on Leno last night about Sarah Palin points to a much bigger [...]
November 13th, 2008 at 12:06 am
I gain more respect for McCain every time i hear him I feel like if he would have been more of this funny, normal guy during the campaign he might have got a few more votes. He was so stiff during the election.
i also respect him for sticking up for Palin. It would be easy to shift blame on her because the liberal illuminati targeted her so bad but McCain is a stand up guy!