(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's comments about palin are old news, still, she is a good car show girl
You betcha!
Cheney: Picking Palin in 2008 was a 'mistake'
Translation: Pick me, Mitt.
The American People want to see mitt's tax returns for the last 20 years. We also want to know how many jobs he's off-shored. And how much of those profits were off-shored too to evade taxes.
Palin was a mistake but so was VP Cheney. Both are pathetic. For Cheney, Darth Vadar, to call Palin a mistaken is like the pot calling the kettle.... you know what.
As much as I dislike Cheney, he is absolutely correct here. Sarah Palin lost that election for John McCain. I think McCain had enough support on both sides of the aisle to win without resorting to demographic chicanery.
It was really a mistake for McCain to pick Palin as VP but it was a very very very big mistake for Georgie to succumb to pick up Che-ney as VP. What else is new? Republicans are themselves are mistakes!!!
Although I do not care for Cheney,he is 100% correct that Palin was a (huge) mistake.
Maybe Sarah Palin was a mistake for VP is up for debate. Let's see – she had way more Executive experience than either Obama or McCain. But I'll tell you one thing – she has taught Republicans/Conservatives how to have a backbone and stand up and fight. Years past the "establishment" Republicans (like Cheney) would have rolled over and let the Left have their way in the debate. Not Sarah and it is showing thru on how Conservatives have taken the offensive since she has been on a national stage. Sarah would never back down from any fight with a Liberal or from any false accusations made about her or her family. Tough is the word. If Romney gets elected he should appoint her immediately as Secretary of Energy. Then we'd have an Energy policy and a clean sweep of a worthless Department.
Despite being a "functional iliterate", Fox News like her comments in complicated subjects.
A real sample of GOP inteligence.
Wow – the worst vice president ever who served for the worst president ever makes a correct call. Must be tough for Palin to hear coming from that circumstance. Hope they go hunting together.
Well, duh !!
Sarah Palin as VP was a mistake. And in other news, the war in Afghanistan is taking a long time.
Don't forget that our current president was only a junior senator for just a few short years as well. And he wasn't going to be the "backup" but the primary guy from day one...
This is just talking objectively regardless of how we think his current performance as prez is.
Do you get the sense that "demographic considerations" means "pandering to the extreme right wing christian nut jobs that have hijacked the republican party"?
I don't care aobut Governor Romney income taxes. I do care where our country is going not where it was. Those who made commnets aobut the disproportinate propaganda about offshore jobs, foreign bank accounts, etc, better look into the 8.2 % unemployment, 14 trillion deficit, the anti-business policies and class warfare of this government.
Cheney just wants attention. Also, he wants Romney to pick him as VP.
~Mitt Romney / Michael Bachamann 2012 ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~Mitt Romney / Michael Bachamann 2012 ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael Bachamann is the best choice for GOP
Four years too late on that one...
This coming from someone who was an even bigger mistake.
the vetting process must have been hilarious...to someone with a normal IQ
Listen guys,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,if you wana be Republican candidate in 2016,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Avoid being Mitt's running mate,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Listen girls,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,if you wana be Republican candidate in 2016,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Be Mitt's running mate,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Cheney seems able to see mistakes on others, if maybe a few years later. Now, if he could see that almost everything he has ever done or stood for was a mistake he will be making progress.
Cheney, what an absolute genius, explaining the obvious for us poor ignorant peons.