(CNN) - Sen. John McCain helped catapult former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the national stage and now he's equating her to former President Ronald Reagan.
He made the comparison Sunday when asked if Palin is "divisive."
"I think anybody that has the visibility that Sarah has is obviously going to have some divisiveness," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I remember that a guy named Ronald Reagan used to be viewed by some as divisive."
The former Republican presidential nominee called Palin "an incredible force in the American political arena" and said she's "keeping her options open."
"I think she's doing great job," McCain told CNN's Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. "I think she's motivating our base. I think she had a positive impact on the last election and I'm proud of her."
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Watch State of the Union with Candy Crowley Sundays at 9am ET. For the latest from State of the Union click here.
When will a qualified politician just come out and say Sarah Palin is a stupid moron and please do not vote for her.
I believe he forgot his SMTWTFS box... he's clearly off his meds... and his rocker
Grapevine:i Yes you are completely correct. " Palin is the real thing" ! Yep. a certified, world class, olympian bird brain, lacking any formative education, who preaches everything that is morally incorrect, who wouldn't know her left hand from her right if it weren't pointed out. The kindest thing that I can say about this fruit loop is that she doesn't have any redeemable defects. Why, oh why am I acknowledging the existence of this ding bat and thereby lending credence to her existence?
McCain is scarily angry. Isn't this the same man that gave the world Sarah Palin? He is too weak and egotistic and power hungry to admit to the terrible mistake he made and to its damage to his own party. Please don't have that grumpy old man on again. He forfeited his integrity some time ago. Next time, Candy, don't let his anger control your questions. CNN, step up and be a real news agency rather than throwing out crumbs for the dogs to fight over.
Hahahahhhh sarah palin. whewh! America can do better than that. We can do better than that.
Well John just barely, and I mean squeaked by, his opponent to win his last senate election. I guess he knows that the jig's up and this is his last senate ride. Maybe he figures that he's got nothing to loose from here on out and is going through some kind of adolescent rebellion kind of thing. Huh?
I agree with the guy above who says that if Palin is the nominee, Obama will be re-elected in a landslide. First of all, all of her dirty laundry won't be hidden any longer. Secondly, she'll have to give interviews - she won't be able to hide and hand-pick the people she talks to. Everyone will see that she's nothing but a series of talking points strung together.
Third, she'll have to debate Barack Obama - and I doubt he'll be as nice to her as Joe Biden was.
Good grief! And we all thought Bush was stupid. Doesn't poor senile old John remember, that Reagan started us on the road to our present financial condition. Shame on you Maverick!! You bet'cha.
Sarah Palin is not half the man that Reagan wanted to be.
John McCain much be as dumb as SARAN PALIN because their is no way she QUALIFIED to be President. IF you Republican can't find any better Saran Palin than I vote for the other side. John McCain way do you think why you lost,It because of her. You would of been President now If you didn't pick her as your running mate.
I am a Republican and would rather vote for a tree, a rock, maybe even pile of dirt rather than Palin. Or maybe I would vote for her to be a night watchman, that way she'd be asleep during the day and we wouldn't have to hear anything she said.
Reagan was senile, McCain is senile and Palin is just stupid for now.
McCain is the type of politician who can never admit he is capable of errors in judgment. I do not think Sarah, alone, lost the election for them. He helped to bring the loss about. How about the way he put his campaign on hold to save the economy?
And was sullen during presidential debates? Etc.
Tina Fey is right when she said that Sarah would be a disaster as President of the United States. Senator McCain is lost somewhere in La La Land. Sarah Wacko need to stop taking drugs or heavy drinking. The media around the world is thinking that she is the role model of the failure of the American Way. Sarah Wacko should use all the money that she has been ripping off mentally challenged Republicans and buy a new brain?
I keep hearing Republicans invoking the term "True Americans" which includes them and nobody else. I have news for the Republicans– all Americans are Americans.– even if they are dark skinned, gay, hold "liberal" opinions, or belong to different religions. The "White straight Christian Conservative" America that Republicans hold so dear reminds me of KKK ideology.
- P.S. and I am a white straight Christian conservative!!
Reagan and Palin are both actors. One played a President the other a person with a brain.
Sarah Palin lacks one crucial character facet of Reagan: wisdom. Reagan knew he was an actor. He also knew he was not an expert on all of the issues. He surrounded himself with smart people, and he usually listened to and accepted their advice. Palin actually believes that she has the credentials to be the President of the United States. She listens to no one (well, maybe Todd–but that's not exactly a point of reassurance for We-the-People) and she has pointedly and consistently deflected any responsibilities for her own mistakes to whomever is standing nearby–or whomever reports them–at the time. And that is exactly what makes her dangerous to the country. As for John McCain, of course he praises her. He's another one that can't admit he made a mistake. And this was indeed a very big one.
Palin was nearly single-handedly responsible for the Republicans inability to take control of the Senate (O'Donnell, Angel, etc.) and she couldn't even get her pet project Joe Miller elected in her own backyard... against a write-in candidate. She truly is the gift that keeps on giving for the Democrats.
McCain, what a suck up! You know, McCain is a survivor and an opportunist; he made it through 5.5 years as a POW, doing what he had to do, including creating false confessions.
As a politician, he has only bucked his party when it was safe to do so (in 2000, when he really didn't have a chance of winning the nomination or supporting the repeal of DADT when it's not up for a vote).
Otherwise, he shifts in the wind, doing and saying whatever he needs to in order to stay on the political scene.
His support of Palin is just the latest version of his flip-flopping.
I have lost every shred of respect I used to have for this man.