(CNN) – Sen. Lisa Murkowski appears to be taking her ongoing feud with fellow Alaskan Sarah Palin to the next level, telling CBS the former vice presidential nominee is not worldly enough for the top job.
"I just do not think that she has those leadership qualities, that intellectual curiosity that allows for building good and great policies," the Alaska senator said in an interview that aired Monday. "You know, she was my governor for two years. And I don't think that she enjoyed governing."
The comments came the same day the latest vote count in Alaska now shows Murkowski leading Tea Party and Palin-backed Republican challenger Joe Miller in the contentious Senate race. New results posted by the Division of Elections give 84,563 write in votes to Murkowski, along with 7,601 challenged votes being counted for her.
The family feud surrounding Murkowski and Palin has almost taken on a Hatfield and McCoy-like animus. Palin defeated Murkowski's father, Frank, in 2006 after a divisive gubernatorial primary fight. After a chilly relationship with Sen. Murkowski, Palin backed Miller in his bid to unseat the one-term senator (who was first given the job by her father). Palin was also at times sharply critical of Murkowski throughout the campaign, calling her tactics "shameful."
Should Murkowski ultimately be successful in her write-in effort, she signaled to CBS she may not be the firebrand conservative that some of her colleagues may expect.
"I will tell you, I am not one of those who wants Obama to fail. If he does well, that means the country's doing well," she said. "We don't have time as a nation to spend all of what we do blocking. We have got to figure out how we get to a point where we can be sitting around the table and talking about these difficult problems and advancing some solutions."
"I will tell you, I am not one of those who wants Obama to fail. If he does well, that means the country's doing well," she said. "We don't have time as a nation to spend all of what we do blocking"
MURKOWSKI... a SMART REPUBLICAN!
Unlike that Crazy lunatic Palin! McCain... What the hell were you thinking!?!! Don't know who i hate more now... PALIN for Her FAKE personality or McCain for Giving her the spotlight and having to torture us w/ her stupid ignorant remarks on a daily basis!!
wow. a republican that does not want obama to fail
" We have got to figure out how we get to a point where we can be sitting around the table and talking about these difficult problems and advancing some solutions."
Ms. Murkowski – Thank you for saying this. Being a part of "no" is not a policy. At what point can you put politics aside?
Go Lisa!! Being intimately familiar with the antics of Sarah Painlin, please don't stop, reveal her for what she really is and rid our country of any doubt that Painlin is undeserving of any attention, much less of political office. Addtionally, it is commendable your perspective on Obama and placing positve movement first above the back stabbing politics that seem to be the norm. Alaska should be glad you won!!!
Wow Senator Murkowski sounds reasonable and intelligent. No wonder Palin hates her.
Murkowski hates Palin for personal reasons. Palin defeated her
father as Governor of Alaska and spearheaded a law that passed
in the Alaskan legislature. That law prohibited a Governor of Alaska
from being able to appoint a senator after one resigns or retires.
Now in Alaska a senator can only take a seat after a FREE ELECTION
BY THE PEOPLE. Make fun of Palin all you want, she is a reformist in
flesh and not just mouth. She is also much more trustworthy than Murkowski.
Is this an entitled, elitist or what?
Wow, a sane Republican. Probably should get a DNA sample before they go completely extinct.
Oh, please. Fishface Murkowski and Palin have disliked each other for years. This is not news.
Poor Ms Murkowski can't get over that daddy lost to Palin. What a shameful women.
I just hope Lisa runs for President in 2012, so she can beat Palin. I doubt either one of them would win, but I think she is much more qualified than Palin.
Tough i don't like this lady, i am glad more GOP may pile on the fake renegade, palin. Sarah Palin is a hijacker. She has jumped on and hijacked the Tea Party movement. This was a grassroots movement until the neo-con takeover. Notice it now has talking points straight from the GOP. The two party system is a scam.
Funny thing is, I would'nt mind giving Obama another chance with a second term, so Palin running 2012 is just fine with me.
It's now even . . . the Democrats have Nancy Pelosi and Republicans have Lisa Murkowski . . . maybe WeThePeople can get them classified as environmental hazards since they are both toxic to this country.
Holy crap, a republican that actually has some brains! There's a first!!
Lisa Murkowski hit it right square on the button, "You know, she was my governor for two years. And I don't think that she enjoyed governing." That statement is backed up 110% by Palins own comment she made on her reality show about Alaska when Palin said "I'de rather be here than in some stuffy politics" If Palin ever runs for ANY political office again, I hope every American remembers Palin's own words how she doesn't like being in "stuffy politics". I can't wait for her to get blasted on that comment.