WASHINTON POST: PALIN WASN'T INTERVIEWED UNTIL DAY BEFORE VP OFFER

[Douglas Carpenter]

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 3, 2008; Page A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090203462.html?hpid=topnews

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting, two knowledgeable McCain officials acknowledged Tuesday.

[Douglas Carpenter]

1. This is the biggest point!! PLEASE RECOMMEND!!

The absurdly poor judgment of John McCain!!

[TreasonousBastard]

2. It may be more (or less) than that. Do you know the story of...

how and why McGovern picked Eagleton as his runing mate?

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. prior to 72 - extensive vetting was usually not done. It was the Eagleton affair that started it

But even in that case, Eagleton and McGovern had served together in the Senate for a long time, and nothing had ever been said about Eagleton's problems. No one around D.C. knew anything about it. Everyone who McGovern and his staff asked thought Eagleton would be a great pick and no one had ever heard anything negative.

Actually I had read George McGovern's book, "Grassroots" in which he spent a whole chapter going into the details.

Eagleton had been asked if there was anything that could cause a problem and had replied that there wasn't.

When the story first broke, Eagleton assured McGovern that it was only a week or two in the hospital for nervous exhaustion. It was immediately after that that McGovern was asked about the affair by reporters, and had unfortunately replied that he backed Eagleton 1000%, not knowing and not having been told by Eagleton that there had been multiple admissions and treatment had involved electroshock therapy.

McCain secured the GOP nomination last March and had several months to find and vet potential V.P. nominees.

McGovern was still fighting Humphrey's people to secure the nomination on the convention floor which was only secured when the delegates he had won in the California primary were restored.

Again McGovern had known and worked with Eagleton for years. McCain had only met Sarah Palin once for a few minutes.

In comparison, the Eagleton fiasco was far more understandable in an era when vetting was not common and Eagleton's problems had been kept a carefully guarded secret.

It was this unfortunate affair that introduced vetting of potential V.P.s' as a standard operating procedure.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Actually, according to McGovern last week in...

the Times, he hardly knew Eagleton and only picked him when it was about an hour before he was annouce the VP choice.

Everyone up to then who he asked refused him-- no one wanted the job. Most told him Eagleton wanted it, but McGovern held out until the last hour or so. "Who is this guy Eagleton?" was his mantra. Shriver was offered it and refused, and only came on board as a rescue mission when Eagleton was dropped.

(Walter Cronkite's name was brought up and dropped during the madness, and it was years later that they found out he would have accepted.)

[malaise]

3. Anyone watching the Palins at the introduction knew this

I've never seen anyone holding a baby use a blanket that covers up her own stomach.





They were all hiding that pregnancy

[romulusnr]

4. could it really have been

that desperate of a move? I don't believe it. Rove et al are too smart to let such a blunder happen. There's gotta be a secret weapon.

The Repugs were so intent on having a woman, they perused the available repugnican woman leaders, found that (wow!) a lot of them are unacceptably pro-choice or pro-social-assistance or what have you, found only one (Palin) that toed the patriarchial party line, and snagged her?

Schafly wasn't available?

I dunno about this.

Maybe McCain's strategy in picking Palin was simply to confuse the hell out of us. Chewbacca Defense anyone?

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. one kick --- this is a BIG story!!

[EFerrari]

7. McCain has lost it. n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. kik

[Blue_In_AK]

9. She was not vetted in Alaska either

as I posted yesterday. Absolutely NO ONE in Alaska, Republican or Democrat, was contacted by McCain's team for vetting purposes. We were caught as off guard as everyone else.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/513143.html

[kath]

10. heckuvajob, Johnnie!