(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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But it was a bigger mistake picking Obama...
@ Charlie from the North
I really had a good laugh when I read your comment. You are sooooo right. LOL
Picking Palin said a lot about McCains q
So Obama's experience was any better???
Romney is already struggling. Palin would be the nail in his coffin. He needs Rick Santorum or someone else that is appealing and bright. Romney is very close to having the same issues as Palin, very out of touch with reality!
PALIN wasn't ready??? While I agree she was a HUGE mistake, I think OBAMA wasn't ready and we are seeing that now!
Umm didnt need u to point out the obvious u devil!
Amazing how republocans ignorance still lingers
Let's face it, I'm no fan of Sarah Palin but what experience and intellect did GWB possess that Sarah Palin didn't possess? GWB was Governor and so was Palin. And if Sarah Palin wasn't ready to be VP then GWB wasn't ready or qualified to be POTUS period! And you with all your experience aint much better than Ms.Palin anyway Dick Cheyney.
Rick Santorum is neither appealing nor bright. He's sick, twisted, egotistical, and more than likely a bit insane.
I have to agree with Dick "buckshot" Cheney on this one.
And they were ready to let her lead the country just because she's a Repubs.
The fact is Obama won because of Bush Cheney policies
Palin pick was right, she showed us how much GOP hates smart people. After Palin entry GOP publicly attacked smart people
@Jaggar: If you think Rick Santorum is "appealing and bright", then the person out of touch with reality is you. Yuck.
Choosing Sarah Pallin was not a mistake. Was a statement of intent.
Cheney is a traitor. People are concerned that MIttens never relinquished control of Bain but certainly Cheney still had Halliburton ties along with other ties to Blackwater and others. He is though, a master ventriloquist. He manipulated the Bush dummy like a pro.
Cheney: Master of the obvious.
Can we just let Palin be Palin and get on with the program. She is who she is, sad as that may be. She can't/won't change and Cheney should just keep his ancient trap closed. Who dug that old fosile up by the way?
I guess Dick has had a change of heart. Oh, wait a minute....
Picking Sarah Palin, following eight years of an incompetent President, forever branded the GOP as not ready for prime time. Notice how Bush is never mentioned by Romney, has not been asked to compaign for him, and Sarah Palin cannot even get an invite to the GOP convention this summer! Past is prologue.
I hope he picks Palin. That would guarantee another Obama win.
The interviewer should have asked Cheney for his view of the significance of endorsements by Palin, both for the candidate she endorses and for the opponent. If he believes that she isn't very competent, then he should say that her endorsement is a negative and people should choose the opponent. He should also chastise Fox News for having put her on the air and continuing to ask her opinion on things, since she isn't competent to render intelligent opinions.
Well, duh!
The problem for the GOP is that they put generation 2 Palin on top of the ticket this year. If they want any credibility, Portman is their only choice.
The biggest mistake was the uhbama.
But, not having spoken up at the time McCain made that choice means that Cheney was willing to let the country live with that mistake, rather than speak out and force the loss of the presidential race. This shows that the republican mentality is that Power means more to them than the good of the country.
Pathetic really.
Picking Cheney as a VP was a mistake for George Bush and a disaster for the country and fior the world as a whole.