(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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He should have spoken about earlier mistakes like Bush and Cheney himself. They started two illegal wars; tripled the national debt and almost bankrupted the country.
Now, that is a mistake
Gee, Dick, thanks for telling us something we didn't know!!!!!
Cheney: "Yes, Sarah Palin was a mistake. And WMD in Iraq...yep that was wrong too. Ruining the economy....yeah, sorry about that (even though we've been able to blame it on the black guy). Oh, and shooting my friend in the face....yeah...feel pretty bad about that too..."
Palin was not a mistake. Voting for the worst Prsident in history was a huge mistake. Vote 100% for Republicans this November, Vote for Mitt Romney for President and get this Country back to Capitalism. Socialism does not work.
Just figure that out, Dick? When are you going to figure out W was one of the worst presidents ever put into office?
The real mistake was 8 years of Bush and Cheney. This country will never be the great country it was, before 8 years of these two. How could Palin have done any worse?
Once again I disagree with D.C. Palin was the best choice – insure that Obama wold be elected. LOL
One mistake recognizing another mistake.
Wow, you can always count on Dick Cheney for up to the minute political news.
Carl- I agree ! McCain would have gotten fewer votes without her. She was the ONLY exciting thing about his campaign. He was as boring as Bob Dole had been before him.
Well, duh......in my view Cheney was a BIGGER MISTAKE along with that cretin George Bush.
Sure, it was a mistake for McCain to pick Palin without vetting. But McCain did vet Romney in 2008. Perhaps McCain realized he had no good choice and went for broke.
She would have been good as Interior Secretary – just a guess, but JM would win if he ran this year since many realize their error in not voting for him the first time – he would have been a very good President...
JM would win if he ran this year since many now realize their error in not voting for him 4 years ago...
....and Biden is the greatest VP ever. LOL.
Willard Romney is even a bigger mistake.
...even the secular media realize that JM is VERY knowledgable when it comes to foreign affairs – some forget that he was a POW for 5 years and knows too well what that's like and how other cultures treat Americans...
It takes one to know one.
What a marvelous observation from the lunatic who thinks he is a political mastermind. Keep these comments coming Mr. Cheney. Every one you make gives all Democrats more votes. Thank you.
Cheney is wrong again. Picking Palin was a gigantic mistake.
Palin was a mistake??? This coming from the wosrt VP in USA history? The idiot who said deficits don't matter , that moran? The one that wants to kill the inisured, that anti American, anti-Christian? The loser who can't shot straight? That Cheney??? A baboon has vastly more intellegence than Cheney.
A mistake?... Ya THINK?!... What I hear nobody saying is that the selection of Palin for the VP spot was nothing more than a STUNT: a desperate attempt at "ginning up" the ticket. I doubt that McCain selected her. The Republican "machine" did, and then handed her over to him. He towed the line (and still does) by keeping his mouth shut. Putting her on the ticket was nothing more than an attempt to combat one who, at the time, was appearing to be an unstoppable rock star.
"Cheney: Picking Palin in 2008 was a 'mistake"
yes it was
the SCOTUS selection of Bush was a mistake
the election of Bush was a mistake
the Iraq war was a mistake
Cheney's defacto presidency was a mistake
not arresting you for torture was a mistake
the fact that you haven't been brought to justice for war crimes was a mistake
this is old news
what's new?
It wasn't a mistake for Palin. She's made a killing off the window-licking Republican base since then.
Now more breaking news, water runs downhill!