McCain says he regrets choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate

American Thinker ^ | 05/05/2018 | Thomas Lifson

[SeekAndFind]

The forthcoming final memoir from Senator John McCain, titled The Restless Wave, and a nearly two-hour-long HBO documentary on its way seem to be being used as an opportunity to settle some scores. Jonathan Martin of the New York Times has obtained copies of both books, and has spoken with the ailing senator at his ranch, where he seems to be spending his final days. This leaped out at me:

While he continues to defend Ms. Palin’s performance, Mr. McCain uses the documentary and the book to unburden himself about not selecting Mr. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, as his running mate.

He recalls that his advisers warned him that picking a vice-presidential candidate who caucused with Democrats and supported abortion rights would divide Republicans and doom his chances.

It is odd indeed to call it “sound advice” and to simultaneously wish he had disregarded it. Logically, this seems to mean that he wishes he had lost, while making a futile gesture towards bipartisanship, or maybe just avoiding contamination with the populism of Sarah Palin. It is an open secret that members of McCain’s campaign sought to sabotage Palin during the campaign, apparently preferring to lose rather than tolerate her views and her persona.

This odd, unsourced paragraph written by Martin offers a clue:

 Yet many in Mr. McCain’s own party believe that, by selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, he bears at least a small measure of blame for unleashing the forces of grievance politics and nativism within the Republican Party.

I strongly suspect that McCain himself expressed these views to Martin, but asked not to be quoted.

[Eddie01]

What class /s

[Poison Pill]

Gracious to the end.

[samadams2000]

Can we wrap this up by Wednesday?

[joethedrummer]

Without Sarah Palin on his ticket, McCain would have lost in one of the biggest landslides in American history.

[pa_dweller]

And the queue lengthens.

[Politically Correct]

And I regret having to vote for him because I had no other choice.

[ryderann]

And she’s so sorry she accepted his offer. He got a ton of votes he wouldn’t have gotten except for her being on the ticket.

[miss marmelstein]

Boy, this guy is like a character out of Therese Raquin with his nasty deathbed revelations.

[mrmeyer]

[beelzepug]

If not for Palin he wouldn’t have gotten the votes he did. Why is the old bastard burning all his bridges?

[mrmeyer]

The only reason I voted for that ticket.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I had just landed in the USA after a trip to Asia and the first thing I heard was that Sarah was selected to be McCain’s running mate. Made the rest of the trip home a pleasure. She’s about the only reason I voted for McCain.

[Rome2000]

I wish I could kick this MF in the balls.

[Eddie01]

nice

[Starboard]

McCain sounds like the whining Hillary. Always looking to blame others for their own failures and shortcomings.

[Dutch Boy]

I agree. The only reason I voted for McCain was because if he won, I expected him to die and Palin be president.

[Menehune56]

Sounds like McCain is celebrating Festivus with the “airing of grievances.” What a classless old fart to the bitter end.

[lewislynn]

He knew he would win because of her and her alone.

He regrets that from his deathbed.

[Eddie01]