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August 31, 2008

WaPo: Sarah Palin was no panic pick

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Over the weekend Democrats have claimed, that John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate exposed his panic during their convention (I've actually heard CNN and NBC commentators say McCain only met Palin once, and the decision was made at the last moment), although the meme of panic doesn't apply nor did it make sense given McCain's position in the polls. Today, The Washington Post reports that McCain favored Palin for months, and that rather than the pick of Palin having anything to do with panic, it reflects a deliberate focus on reform and change (HT - Hot Air):

Their first encounter was last February at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington. Sarah Palin was one of several governors who met privately with Sen. John McCain, by then well on his way to capturing the Republican presidential nomination, and her directness and knowledge were impressive.

Later that day, at a largely social gathering organized by his campaign, McCain spent 15 minutes in private conversation with the first-term Alaska governor. "I remember him talking about her when he came back," a McCain adviser said. "He said she was an impressive woman. He liked her." ...

Far from being a last-minute tactical move or a second choice when better known alternatives were eliminated, Palin was very much in McCain's thinking from the beginning of the selection process, according to McCain's advisers. The 44-year-old governor made every cut as the first list of candidates assembled last spring was slowly winnowed. The more McCain learned about her, the more attracted he was to her as someone who shared his maverick, anti-establishment instincts.

As Ed Morrissey points out in his Hot Air piece, "As the Times said on Friday, this shouldn't surprise anyone. The panic seen from the Left shouldn't surprise anyone, either. After their so-called reformer picked a 35-year Washington insider as his running mate, the ticket of true reform is obvious to even them.

Posted by Richard at August 31, 2008 11:37 AM

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• WaPo: Sarah Palin was no panic pick - Aug 31, 2008