ABC News says that about 10 Republican operatives including lawyers, are heading to Alaska for more background work on Gov. Palin.
There is an absolutely fascinating article here from Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times on the "process" (or lack of one) of picking Palin:
A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.
...Up until midweek last week, 48 hours to 72 hours before McCain introduced Palin at a Friday rally in Dayton, Ohio, McCain was still holding out the hope that he could name as his running mate a good friend, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., a Republican close to the campaign said. McCain had also been interested in another favorite, former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed delegates would reject Ridge or Lieberman.
Perhaps more important, several Republicans said, McCain was getting advice that if he did not do something to shake up the race, his campaign would be stuck on a potentially losing trajectory.
With time running out — and as McCain discarded two safer choices, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, as too predictable — he turned to Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed delegates would reject Ridge or Lieberman.
Perhaps more important, several Republicans said, McCain was getting advice that if he did not do something to shake up the race, his campaign would be stuck on a potentially losing trajectory.
With time running out — and as McCain discarded two safer choices, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, as too predictable — he turned to Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later.
....In Alaska, several state leaders and local officials said they knew of no efforts by the McCain campaign to find out more information about Palin before the announcement of her selection. Although campaigns are typically discreet when they make inquiries into potential running mates, officials in Alaska said Monday they thought it was peculiar that no one in the state had the slightest hint that Palin might be under consideration.
"They didn't speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn't speak to anyone in the business community," said Lyda Green, the state Senate president, who lives in Wasilla, where Palin served as mayor.
Rep. Gail Phillips, a Republican and former speaker of the state House of Representatives, said the widespread surprise in Alaska when Palin was named to the ticket made her wonder how intensively the McCain campaign had vetted her.
"I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called," Phillips said.
The current mayor of Wasilla, Dianne M. Keller, said she had not heard of any efforts to look into Palin's background. And Randy Ruedrich, the state Republican Party chairman, said he, too, knew nothing of any vetting that had been conducted.
State Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat who is directing the ethics investigation, said that no one asked him about the allegations. "I heard not a word, not a single contact," he said.
"They didn't speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn't speak to anyone in the business community," said Lyda Green, the state Senate president, who lives in Wasilla, where Palin served as mayor.
Rep. Gail Phillips, a Republican and former speaker of the state House of Representatives, said the widespread surprise in Alaska when Palin was named to the ticket made her wonder how intensively the McCain campaign had vetted her.
"I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called," Phillips said.
The current mayor of Wasilla, Dianne M. Keller, said she had not heard of any efforts to look into Palin's background. And Randy Ruedrich, the state Republican Party chairman, said he, too, knew nothing of any vetting that had been conducted.
State Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat who is directing the ethics investigation, said that no one asked him about the allegations. "I heard not a word, not a single contact," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment