(CNN) – Sen. John McCain made a mistake in 2008 by picking then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, former Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview that aired Sunday.
Cheney led the vice presidential search for Gerald Ford in 1976, and again for George W. Bush in 2000. That last search resulted in Cheney himself being selected, and he served as Bush's number two for eight years.
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On Sunday, Cheney said Palin failed to meet the number one requirement for a vice president: a readiness to step into the top job if needed.
"Based on her background, she was only governor for two years, I don't think she passed that test of being ready to take over. And I think that was a mistake," Cheney said in an interview with ABC News.
Cheney, who said he knows and likes Palin, argued that considerations about which demographic a potential candidate could help pull in clouded the 2008 decision to put Palin on the ticket.
"Those are important issues but they should never be allowed to override that first proposition and I think that's one of the problems that McCain had," Cheney said.
READ MORE: McCain, Liz Cheney push back on Palin 'mistake'
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Cheney was the most corrupt, and treasonous VP that the USA has ever had; he was the De Facto, President!
GWB was just there as a symbol of absolute stupidity... anyone wholistens to Cheney, seriously deserves WILLARD!
Cheney & Palin were the two worst VP choices of recent times. Why has it taken Cheney four years to figure out that Palin was a bad choice? He is four years behind the times and his choice of himself is an indicator of the faulty reasoning of the Republicans. Good luck to Mr. Romney, as he makes probably another faulty choice.
Time for Chaney to go away also!!!
A mistake? Filing this under "Takes One to Know One"
Shh, shh, quite little feller..go back to sleep.
She's too polarizing. Either you really like her or you really don't. It's a Democrat's dream for Romney to pick her. That said, seriously doubt she's going to be the one he'll pick. My guess, it will be someone who's either a current governor or a former one.
Is this Dick Cheney's way of saying that Mitt Romney, with four years as Governor is not ready to step into the job? I don't think he would like to see Obama continue in the job, but seriously – why would he make a point of speaking out about Sarah Palin's two years as governor meaning she wasn't ready to be president, if Mitt Romney only has four years in government? It does rather draw attention to the fact that Romney doesn't have much more experience and is running for Job #1, not #2. Seems kind of a ham handed remark for a Republican to make.
Just remember. . . guns don't shoot people. Dick Cheney does.
Welcome to the party, Mr. Cheney.
Did Cheney just figure that out? I knew it the day McCain made the announcement.
Bush made a much bigger mistake in choosing DICK Cheney.
Palin actually believes she is VP already. She thinks VP means VERY PRETTY. Pig with the lipstick.
@Michael, DARTH VADER & CARIBOU BARBIE are still the best and brightest the GOP has to offer, which is why I still can't vote for the GOP presidential candidate.
Cheney wants to be the VP again for Romney. GOP circus.
And his party picked her over Mitt.
Republicans – Are these folks, your leaders really the best you have?
I'm amazed that I agree with Cheney with something. Palin is definately not ready. I don't think that she will every be ready.
Sarah wasn't even qualified to run Alaska or even a lemonade stand. It took you 4 years to figure that out?? How did you get to be VP you dult.
It was a mistake. Choosing Palin came across as a gimmick to me and to many others, I think. But McCain had an uphill battle anyway because the outgoing Republican president was quite unpopular.
Right....Cheney would have been the best choice, of course!
is this breaking news? we knew that all along...
We alll know Cheney was a sorry pick, could not even raise a normal girl right.
Hey, what do you know – there seems to have been blood flow restored to Darth Cheney's brain after 8 years in the WH – a small bit of reality seems to be eking out slowly.
Based on 2008 background, the designing for campaign did nothing wrong for the VP choice, for Palin was one of the amazing guys speaking up loudly about we need change at the time. Palin is a pretty woman and she served as an impressive reminder of people's aspiration of a woman president in the U.S. while American people were suffering from economic crisis at that time.
Probably, we have missed a number of great people, who actually fit well to be the greatest presidents in this country, but I have found they have the time of their life.
I really appreciate Cheney for sharing the views. God bless Romney! Good luck and Godspeed to American people!
The biggest problem with Sarah Palin was that her IQ appeared to be in the low 80s. The idea of her being president someday (after all McCain was an elderly man then) was enough to make my best friend, a staunch Republican, vote for Obama-Biden. 'Nough said.
Cheney, the fact that you are not sitting in solitary confinement for the rest of your life is as big a mistake as running Palin for veep. You are a horrible old war profiteer and criminal responsible for many thousands of deaths.