Arizona U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain reflected on his 2008 campaign earlier this week, saying choosing former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has his running mate was “the best decision” he has ever made.
Mr. McCain made the comment during an appearance on Fox News, where he also took time to promote his 2008 rival, Mitt Romney, whose Republican presidential candidacy he endorsed last week, after Mr. Romney won the Iowa caucus by eight votes.
The Arizona Republican has previously said he stands by his decision to choose Ms. Palin as the Republican presidential candidate for vice president in 2008. A number of Republicans have criticized Mr. McCain’s decision, saying his campaign failed to research Ms. Palin’s past political positions, adding that the Alaska Republican’s unpopularity among liberal conservatives doomed his campaign.
Ms. Palin, for her part, has spent the past several weeks offering her thoughts and opinions on the upcoming 2012 race for the Republican primary. Speaking earlier this month, Ms. Palin said she remains interested in possibly endorsing a candidate in the Republican race, however, it remains unclear whether she will back one of the candidates.
“McCain found his person much sooner than I’m able to find that person,” Ms. Palin told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity on Wednesday. She added: “I’m still in that process with probably 70 percent of Americans trying to decide.”
The Alaska Republican, however, noted that regardless of whether she endorses a candidate for the Republican nomination, she remains committed to defeating President Obama in 2012.
“John McCain’s endorsement of Mitt Romney is a reminder that we must have as our aim defeating Obama and the socialist, big-government, job-defeating policies” of his administration, said Ms. Palin. “We still have many months to decide who can best lead us to progress this country.”
