John McCain: Sarah Palin Was ‘Better Candidate’ for VP Than Mitt Romney (UPDATE)
Sen. John McCain, the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee, said Tuesday that he didn’t pick Sarah Palin over Mitt Romney for his vice presidential candidate because of Romney’s tax return issues; he just thought Palin was the better candidate, Politico reports.
McCain, an Arizona Republican who endorsed Romney in January, said “of course” Romney’s tax returns didn’t push McCain’s campaign to rule him out for the VP spot. Palin, then governor of Alaska, just seemed like a better pick, he told Politico.
“Oh, come on, because we thought that Sarah Palin was the better candidate,” he said of why he chose her over Romney. “Why did we not take [then-Minnesota Gov. Tim] Pawlenty? Why did we not take any of the other 10 other people? Why didn’t I? Because we had a better candidate, the same way with all the others. … Come on, why? That’s a stupid question.”
Calls for Romney to release more tax returns have reached a fever pitch this week, with the Obama campaign repeatedly hammering him on the issue and some Republicans joining in.
Romney dropped out of the 2008 presidential race in February of that year, when it became clear that McCain would clinch the GOP nomination. The McCain campaign announced in August that Palin would be on the ticket for vice president. McCain has repeatedly said he stands behind his decision to pick Palin.