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John McCain Picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as Running Mate; John McCain Introduces Sarah Palin in Dayton, Ohio
Aired August 29, 2008 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Ed Henry as we're crossing the top of the hour here now, which is the time that the announcement was expected. I understand that Senator McCain is in the building there in Dayton.
Ed, what exactly is the McCain campaign looking to do with this pick of a running mate?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think as John King was saying, they want to shake things up a little bit and outside the box pick, if you will. And clearly, what they're telling me is they want to underline what they call Senator McCain's maverick image.
He's been saying that himself a lot out on the campaign trail. You know, talking about how while he's been in Washington for 26 years, he's been pushing for change all that time.
And so they're trying to cut into Barack Obama's brand, which is all about change. And they're trying to say, look, John McCain knows change, as well. And now he's bringing someone in from outside the beltway, very far outside the beltway, obviously, from Alaska.
Just got off the phone with an Obama campaign official in Chicago. And to pick up on what Hilary is saying, the Obama camp is claiming that they are thrilled with this pick, because they're saying flat out experience, the question of experience, is now being taken off the table.
They say that basically all of these charges from John McCain that Barack Obama is not qualified to be commander in chief are going to be much tougher to make now that he's picked a running mate who is younger than Barack Obama, has less national, you know, name recognition, perhaps, than Barack Obama, and also has no foreign policy experience.
Now, clearly, she's the number two. Not trying to be the number one. But John McCain today celebrates his 72nd birthday. And obviously a lot of people have been noting that the question of someone who's going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency in a McCain administration is a very, very big question -- John.
ROBERTS: Right. Well, let's just delve into and dissect a little more of that point of the Obama campaign saying that this takes the experience issue off of the table.
You know, when you look at the ticket, you're looking at the top two people on the ticket. You've got John McCain with all of his years in the Senate, and Barack Obama with four years in the Senate.
Does it go deeper than that? Certainly the vice president can reinforce you to some degree, but you still have a disparity at the very top of the ticket in terms of experience.
HENRY: Absolutely, you clearly do. And as we talk about all the time, in the end the American people focus a lot on this. And this is an important development in terms of their judgment, who they think should be beside them in the Oval Office on a day-to-day basis.
The fact of the matter is that people in the end do, in fact, vote for the top of the ticket. It's been said many times that one of the most disastrous VP picks, I think even Republicans would acknowledge, was Dan Quayle in 1988, and yet George H. W. Bush still won a landslide.
Nevertheless, I can tell you, I've just been talking to some people in the crowd behind me here and some Republican voters who say they support John McCain. Obviously they're here at this rather large rally of 15,000 people in Dayton.
They are saying, number one, sounds interesting, but I don't know a lot about Sarah Palin. And number two, they're also saying, they're wondering about her experience. And they're looking forward to hearing what John McCain has to say in just a few moments, because he's going to have to start very aggressively to make the case that, in fact, she is qualified to be president because she's going to be a heartbeat away from that Oval Office -- John.
ROBERTS: Ed Henry for us in Dayton, Ohio.
Let's bring in Dana Bash.
Dana, pick up on that point that Ed Henry just made about Republicans there in the room not knowing much about Governor Palin. Does this give the McCain opportunity to shape perceptions of who she is, versus a pick who is well known, who people already have an idea of?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I mean, that's exactly right. And it gives people a chance to look into it, and maybe, you know, find interest in her and try to find out more about her and say, you know, what is this all about? I mean, look, the bottom line is that they -- that they kept this so close because they wanted to have a huge surprise, and they were able to do that here in a remarkable way.
One thing, actually, that -- you know, we've been talking about her experience and the fact that she's not well known and whether or not this was a risky choice for John McCain. The people around John McCain who helped him make this choice, what they said over and over again is, we understand the lesson, the first lesson, and this is do no harm. And some of them were very close to the process around George H. W. Bush when he picked Dan Quayle, and what they say, from their perspective, what a disaster that was because they didn't have enough information about who he really is and the kind of impact he would have on the campaign. They didn't have all of his documents.
Even John McCain, in the rare times he would actually talk to us about the process of picking his running mate, would talk about the fact that that was really one of the most important things, is to make sure that everything was scrubbed. Because there's not a lot known about her publicly.
You would have to think, and we presume that they did a lot -- and we're going to find out a lot more about this as the day -- as the hours and days go by, but they probably had to do a lot of real digging, vetting, as we like to call it, of her, because she is really, really unknown on the national level. She hasn't had a lot of vetting done by people like you and me, which Romney has and others who were sort of floated out, they didn't have to do as much work on.
So that, in terms of the process, it will be very fascinating to find out just how much work they had to do because she is so unknown to make sure that they don't make a big mistake.
ROBERTS: All right. Dana Bash there in Dayton with that.
And we saw a woman put a couple of pieces of paper on the podium just a moment ago. We could assume that that could be Senator McCain's remarks, which may mean that we are within just a couple of minutes now of the official announcement, when Senator McCain comes out on stage with his vice presidential running mate.
John King and Hilary Rosen, one day in October, she is going to sit down across the table from Senator Joe Biden, with 36 years experience in the Senate, is probably about the -- among the people with the most foreign policy experience in the United States.
How is that dynamic going to play out?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is fair to say that she will go into that debate with very low expectations. The question is, can she turn that to her advantage?
We're going to learn a lot about this woman. And I think that is part of the calculation. Dana and Ed touching on it.
The McCain people understand the fundamentals of this election. This is what some would say a bold or a risky choice. They wanted to change the game. That's what we were hearing in the recent days, that they wanted to do something outside of the box.
That will be a huge challenge, debating one of the foremost minds on foreign policy in the United States Senate. Whether you agree or disagree with him policy-wise, as Senator Hutchison said this morning, this man knows his stuff. He also knows domestic policy pretty well. So it will be a huge challenge.
Obviously, she's going to have to be up to the challenge or she will hurt the ticket. But they have clearly made a calculation that they think she is going to surprise us. And they clearly made one calculation that is proving right so far. The morning after history was made in this stadium, they are dominating the discussion. And I think because she is so unknown, they believe in the McCain campaign they can dominate the discussion for the rest of the week, provided -- provided her entry onto the national stage is a positive one and there are no mistakes.
HILARY ROSEN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: But, you know, they've probably made a mistake for a short-term gain -- for long-term bad consequences, I think. She might be really well prepped in a debate, and therefore she might do well in a debate. But I think that what you're going to find with the Obama/Biden ticket is the match-up against the McCain/Palin ticket, and it's that match-up, it's how do they complement each other, what do they really bring?
The combination of Senator Biden is about judgment. I think you're going to see the Obama campaign go back to a look at all this experience we have. I think they're going to stay on judgment, because Senator Obama believes in his judgment argument, and that it's been proven out several times. Senator McCain still doesn't have that argument, and now he has done nothing to bolster his weakness there.
ROBERTS: But could it be a mistake to assume that Joe Biden is going to go into that vice presidential debate and mop the floor with her? I mean, what happens if, as John King said, she pulls out a surprise and turns the table?
ROSEN: You know, I think Biden is going to be careful about that, which is why you're going to see Senator Biden...
ROBERTS: Be careful going into a debate.
(CROSSTALK)
ROSEN: I think he's going to try and be respectful. I think there's not going to be any question in anybody who watches that debate's mind that he has more experience, more ability to step into the presidential role than she does. So the point John made is the right one, which is they have to look and find something else.
KING: You know what else I find fascinating? There's no southerner on either ticket.
ROBERTS: Yes.
KING: We have a senator from Illinois, a senator from Delaware, born in Pennsylvania. We have a senator from Arizona who was born in the Panama Canal zone and lived around quite a bit because his family was in the Navy, and then he was in the Navy. And then you have now the governor of Alaska.
The South has been rather decisive, especially for Republicans. And the Democrats have not won the presidency in our lifetime without a southerner on the ticket, whether that be Lyndon Johnson helping John Kennedy, or Jimmy Carter and then Bill Clinton. And here you have geographically, these are both very interesting tickets and very outside the box, if you will, of the North. ROSEN: And a very reactive choice, too, for that reason, I think, because it reacts on the women's side, which I think is the wrong decision. But it also reacts on the battleground state side.
You know, Senator Obama has been very clear that the battleground states for them have moved West. And so instead of shoring up the votes in traditional areas like the South and other places, Senator McCain is now moving the battleground states for their campaign farther West. And that's an interesting...
KING: A soccer mom who is a lifetime NRA member.
ROBERTS: Well, in Alaska, I think you have to be, right?
KING: That might not hurt so much in Colorado, Montana, and other places, as well. We'll see.
ROBERTS: Let's bring in CNN contributor David Gergen, who's with us and has been following this discussion.
What about this idea, David, of the vast experience of Senator Biden versus what appears to be limited experience of Governor Palin when it comes to these debates and whether or not she could kind of surprise him with a left hook that he's not expecting?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I think so. And it's worth remembering that in the last two presidential debates, the Democrats have both times been favored. And both times the Republicans have surprised.
Dick Cheney, you know, shocked everybody back in 2000 when he won that first debate. And, you know, it's against Joe Lieberman. And everybody thought that Joe Lieberman would be a better debater; he was not. Cheney had a smile and he was -- you know, in these debates, they are very structured. And it's possible that with a couple of clips and the right kind of personality -- and again, that's why her personality is going to be so important here, because the resume is so thin.
She has to fill the room now with her personality. If she can do that, she will beat the expectations.
But I must tell you, I think coming out of this right as of this moment, right now, before she's been introduced, with this really powerful Democratic convention -- and yes, this is drowning out the conversation about that Democratic convention, but we've had millions and millions of Americans who have just watched the Democrats have this very powerful convention. And now this.
I think it's going to be sort of -- a lot of Republicans will scratch their heads and say, what are we doing? You know, and is this really where we want to go? And he's putting -- there's an awful lot of weight riding on this young woman right now as she comes out here.
ROBERTS: A lot of pressure on her, but we'll see how she reacts very shortly when Senator McCain brings her out. I want to read a statement that the Obama campaign has just released on the selection of Governor Sarah Palin as the vice presidential running mate.
They say, "Experience is being taken off the table considering they're putting someone within a heartbeat of the presidency with the thinnest foreign policy experience in history." Also, "It's interesting that he would pick someone currently under investigation in her own state. On his birthday, he surprised folks by making a pick that takes the experience argument off the table."
Republican strategist and former speechwriter for Senator Bill Frist, Amy Holmes is with us.
And Amy, what do you make of that response to the pick of Governor Sarah Palin?
AMY HOLMES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the response that the McCain campaign has is that she has more executive experience than Barack Obama. So I think it kind of cuts both ways.
But getting back to the idea of these debates, I think it was very broadly thought that -- excuse me -- that Joe Biden did very poorly actually in his hearings with John Roberts, that he came across as long-winded, he came across as a bully. And I would also remind viewers about the debates between Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio, that when you put a woman into the equation, for that male politician there is a very fine line to walk there that they don't look like a bully.
So we know that Joe Biden is very -- he can be very tough, he can be very direct, but he also can go overboard and has done so in his political career.
ROBERTS: Amy, do you think that John McCain changed his pick after Senator Obama chose Joe Biden, as opposed to Hillary Clinton? There was still some idea that he might go to her. He didn't, he went to Joe Biden.
Do you think John McCain changed his pick? Might he have been thinking about Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney, and then when Senator Obama did not pick Hillary Clinton, he said, OK, I'm going to be the one to pick a woman?
HOLMES: You know, I don't have any inside knowledge into that, and I don't know exactly what his thinking was going.
But we do know that by overlooking Hillary Clinton, that there was this issue of Obama being able to attract those female voters going into the Democratic convention. He and John McCain were splitting the female vote when Obama should be far ahead.
So this may have played into the McCain campaign when they looked at the polling. You know, they probably did a lot of focus-grouping on this before they chose her. But at the end of the day, this was John McCain's pick. And I can tell you that movement conservatives are very pleased with this. Fred Thompson just came out with a statement saying that this underscores John McCain's boldness, that he paints in bold strokes. And not only does she appeal to those social conservatives because of her pro-life credentials, she's appealing to economics conservatives.
This is a woman who supports drilling, which is a very popular position among the American people. And she has that real-life Alaskan governor experience to back up that position, what it could do for the economy, what it can do for creating jobs. So while we've been describing her based on her social conservatism, a lot of conservatives are seeing that she is the kind of candidate that can help bring together social and economic conservatives and really coalesce them around John McCain.
ROBERTS: All right. Amy Holmes with that for us today.
And Amy, we should point out that the lights have just gone down in the hall there in Dayton, Ohio, which means that it may be just moments away from the official announcement. We thought they were moments away an hour and 15 minutes ago -- John.
KING: It's an interesting point. Our Rick Davis, who heads up our (INAUDIBLE) just sent an e-mail. It's an interesting footnote to this.
"We are now guaranteed given this choice of Sarah Palin, assuming she is nominated by the Republican convention -- and we assume that will be the case -- we will either have a black president of the United States, a first in history, or a woman vice president of the United States, our first in our history. So history will be made come November no matter which ticket wins."
I think that's an interesting footnote to consider as we watch for Sarah Palin's national political debut.
ROBERTS: And as you pointed out, the Democrats made history last night, nominating their first African-American. And John McCain turns around and makes history less than 24 hours later.
Our Wolf Blitzer is in Minneapolis, where he is going to be anchoring "THE SITUATION ROOM" from this afternoon. And as well, all of our coverage of the upcoming Republican National Convention.
Wolf, what does the pick of Governor Palin say about the potential role for a vice president that John McCain sees? You know, we've had one of the strongest vice presidents in this nation's history just down the hall from the Oval Office for the past eight years. What does this say about the type of vice presidential role that John McCain is thinking of carving out should he win the presidency?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it says we're not really sure because we don't really know that much about Sarah Palin. She may be relatively well known in Alaska, but she's certainly not well known outside of Alaska. And she was really, really a long shot, even though her name had been floated weeks ago as a possibility.
Everyone seemed to think, you know, she didn't really have that much national experience, exposure, she didn't really have much foreign policy or national security experience. And she was -- at least her office was under some sort of investigation going on in Alaska. So a lot of people thought that was not going to happen.
I do suspect, though, that, you know, this is a relationship that John McCain will work out with, if, in fact, he's elected president. He'll work out his relationship with his vice president.
I don't know how well the two of them know each other, how much they've worked together over the past. If, for example, he would have picked Joe Lieberman as his running mate, we know they have a very, very close working relationship and it would have been a different kind of presidential, vice presidential working relationship. But I think this is a work in progress right now, John, and I don't think there's any easy -- any easy answers to a tough question like that.
ROBERTS: Hey, Wolf, I don't mean to interrupt you, but apparently we're just seeing here -- it's difficult to see in the sun on the monitor here, but Senator McCain is in the room. So let's listen in here as he's about to make this dramatic announcement.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
AUDIENCE (singing): Happy birthday to you...
MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks for reminding me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for that wonderful welcome. And thank you.
Let me tell you, I'm very happy.
AUDIENCE (singing): Happy birthday to you.
MCCAIN: Thank you. Twice is enough. Thank you very much. That's three times.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'm very happy. I'm very happy today to spend my birthday with you and to make an historic announcement in Dayton, a city built on hard, honest work of good people.
(APPLAUSE)
Like the entire industrial Midwest, Dayton has contributed much to the prosperity and progress of America. And now, in these tough, changing times, after all you've done for our country, you want your government to understand what you're going through, to stand on your side and fight for you. And that's what I intend to do.
(APPLAUSE)
That's why I'm running for president, to fight for you, to make government stand on your side and not in your way.
(APPLAUSE)
My friends, I've spent the last few months looking for a running mate who can best help me shake up Washington and make it start working again for the people that are counting on us.
(APPLAUSE)
As I'm sure you know, I had many good people to choose from. All of them dedicated to this country and to getting us back on the road to prosperity and peace. And I am very grateful to all of them and honored by their willingness to serve with me. And I'm going to continue to rely on their support and counsel during this campaign, and after we win this election, when the real work begins.
(APPLAUSE)
But I could only choose one. And it's with great pride and gratitude that I tell you, I have found the right partner to help me stand up to those who value their privileges over their responsibilities, who put power over principle, and put their interests before your needs.
(APPLAUSE)
I found someone with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies. Someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past. Someone who stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money on things they don't want or need, and put it back to work for the people.
Someone with executive experience who has shown great tenacity and skill in tackling tough problems, especially our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Someone who reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in government. Someone with strong principles of fighting spirit and deep compassion.
(APPLAUSE)
Someone who grew up in a decent, hard-working middle class family whose father was an elementary school teacher and mother was the school secretary. They taught their children to care about others, to work hard, and to stand up with courage for the things you believe in. Both of them were coaches too, and raised their children to excel at sports.
(APPLAUSE)
And I'm sure they taught them skills that will surely come in handy over the next two months.
The person I'm about to introduce to you was a union member and is married to a union member, and understands the problems, the hopes, the values of working people. Knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries. A standout high school point guard, a concerned citizen who became a member of the PTA, then a city council member, and then a mayor, and now a governor.
(APPLAUSE)
Who beat the long odds to win a tough election on a message of reform and public integrity.
And I am especially proud to say in the week we celebrate the anniversary of women's suffrage, a devoted...
(APPLAUSE)
A devoted wife and a mother of five.
(APPLAUSE)
She's not from these parts and she's not from Washington. But when you get to know her, you're going to be as impressed as I am. She's got the grit, integrity, good sense, and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today.
(APPLAUSE)
She knows where she comes from, and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down.
(APPLAUSE)
She's fought oil companies and party bosses and do-nothing bureaucrats, and anyone who puts their interests before the interests of the people she swore an oath to serve. She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight -- to help me fight the same old Washington politics of "me first and country second."
My friends and fellow Americans, I am very pleased and very privileged to introduce to you the next vice president of the United States, Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska!
(MUSIC)
(APPLAUSE)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: Thank you so much.
And I thank you, Senator McCain, and Mrs. McCain, for the confidence that you've placed in me. Senator, I am honored to be chosen as your running mate. I will be honored to serve next to the next president of the United States.
I know that when Senator McCain gave me this opportunity, he had a short list of highly qualified men and women. And to have made that list at all, it was a privilege. And to have been chosen brings a great challenge. I know that it will demand the best that I have to give. And I promise nothing less.
First, there are a few people whom I would like you to meet. I want to start with my husband Todd. And Todd and I are actually celebrating our 20th anniversary today. And I promised him -- I had promised Todd a little surprise for the anniversary present and hopefully he knows that I did deliver.
And then we have, after my husband, who is a lifelong commercial fisherman. Lifetime Alaskan. He's a production operator. Todd is a production operator in the oil fields up on Alaska's north slopes and he's a proud member of the United Steal Workers' Union and he's a world champion snow machine racer. Todd and I met way back in high school. And I can tell you that he is still the man that I admire most in this world.
Along the way, Todd and I have shared many blessings. And four out of five of them are here with us today. Our oldest son, Track, he'll be follow the presidential campaign from afar. On September 11th of last year, our son enlisted in the United States Army. Track now serves in an infantry brigade. And on September 11th, Track will deploy to Iraq in the service of his country. And Todd and I are so proud of him and of all the fine men and women serving the country.
CROWD: USA. USA. USA.
PALIN: Next to Todd is our daughter, Bristol, another daughter, Willow, our youngest daughter, Piper, and over in their arms is our son Trig, a beautiful baby boy. He was born just in April. His name is Traig Paxson Van Palin.
Some of life's greatest opportunities comes unexpectedly. And this is certainly the case today. I never really set out to be involved in public affairs, much less to run for this office. My mom and dad both worked at the local elementary school and my husband and I, we both grew up working with our hands.
I was just your average hockey mom in Alaska. We're busy raising our kids and serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side. I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council. And then elected mayor of my hometown, where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending and cut property taxes and put the people first. I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. And when I found corruption there, I fought it hard and I held the offenders to account. Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor I stood up to the old politics as usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good old boy network. When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically, and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska. And we are now embarking on a $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.
I signed major ethics reforms and I appointed both Democrats and Independents to serve in my administration. And I've championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we'd build it ourselves.
Well, it's always, though, safer in politics to avoid risk. To just kind of go along with the status quo. But I didn't get into government to do the safe and easy things. A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built. Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties. The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons. And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good.
Now, no one expects us to agree on everything. Whether in Juno or in Washington. But we are expected to governor with integrity, and good will, and clear convictions, and service (ph) heart. Now, no leader in America has shown these qualities so clearly or present so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as Senator John F. McCain.
This is a moment when principles and political independents matter a lot more than just the party lines. And this is a man who has always been there to serve his country, not just his party. And this is a moment that requires resolve, and toughness, and strength of hearts in the American president. And my running mate is a man who has shown those qualities in the darkest of places. And in the service of his country.
A colleague once said about Senator McCain, that man did things for this country that few people could go through. Never forget that. And that speaker was former Senator John Glenn of Ohio. And John Glenn knows something about heroism. And I'm going to make sure nobody does forget that in this campaign. There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America and that man is John McCain.
This is a moment, this is a moment when great causes can be won and great threats overcome, depending on the judgment of our next president. In a dangerous world, it is John McCain who will lead America's friends and allies in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It was John McCain who cautioned long ago about the harm that Russian aggression could do to Georgia and to other small democratic neighbors and to the world oil markets. It was Senator McCain who refused to hedge his support for our troops in Iraq, regardless of those political costs.
Thank you. Thank you.
And you know what? As the mother of one of those troops and as the commander of Alaska's National Guard, that's the kind of man I want as our commander in chief.
CROWD: USA. USA. USA.
PALIN: Profiles and courage, they can be hard to come by these days. You know, so often we just find them in books. But next week, when we nominate John McCain for president, we're putting one on the ballot. To serve as vice president beside such a man would be the privilege of a lifetime and a city that this trust has been giving to me 88 years almost to the day after the women of America first gained the right to vote.
I think, as well, today of two other women who came before me in national elections. I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievement of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.
It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet. And we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.
So for my part, the mission is clear. The next 67 days, I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party or no party at all. If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we're asking for your vote on the 4th of November.
My fellow Americans, come join our cause. Join our cause and help our country to elect a great man, the next president of the United States. And I thank you and I God bless you, I say, and God bless America.
Thank you.
ROBERTS: And there you go, Senator John McCain introducing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on the national stage as his vice presidential running mate. We're getting off -- starting off by saying that she has a reputation for standing up to the special interests and fighting corruption, which would be -- put her in lock step with John McCain on that front.
Interesting to note, as we bring in Dana Bash, who's there live at the event in Dayton.
Dana, that she mentioned the name of Hillary Clinton there and the 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, stealing a line from Michelle Obama. A not so subtle suggestion that if you like Hillary Clinton, maybe you want to take a look at the Republican ticket.
BASH: Not so subtle at all. And then she went on to say, but we're not done yet. I mean, there is no question about it. That is a major, major reason why they picked Sarah Palin to be on the ticket with John McCain because this is a part of the effort that I have been following that they have been doing ever since the end of the Democratic primary.
Several things struck me with regard to this speech. But one of the things, I think, maybe that struck me the most was the fact that she was talking about the fact that her son is going to Iraq and the fact that she wants a commander in chief who she can trust with her son going to Iraq. You know, John McCain also had a son who went to Iraq, but he won't talk about it.
Now he has somebody on his ticket who will talk about the fact that he has foreign policy experience, that he has national security experience, and he has it in a personal way and that they have it in a personal way. That's something that I think that is something that she will probably talk a lot about. About the fact that she has a son who is going to Iraq. And, obviously, you know, John, just the fact that she is standing there with her family, with her baby, who, as we were talking about before, she just gave birth to a few months ago who has downs syndrome, that is she is going to have a story, a personal story that she is going to be able to tell, that they hope inside the McCain campaign, they are going to have a lot of interest in.
So, you know, it's a shocker. It is an absolute shocker. And that is the entire point of the pick today -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes, we should also mention too, and we had him on it this morning, Beau Biden, Senator Joe Biden's son, the attorney general of Delaware, he's going to Iraq the first week of October. And both he and his father are reluctant to talk about his deployment, as well. Very similar to Senator McCain.
What can you tell us about the relationship between Senator McCain and Governor Palin? We've not seen them together prior to today. And they do seem to get along very well.
BASH: They do seem to get along very well. You know, the honest truth is, we don't know that yet. We're trying to find out. They are still -- everything was close hold on this. And they were so reluctant to let this leak out that they don't -- that they haven't given us a lot of information about their back story. And certainly, you know, John McCain himself actually told myself and a few reporters on his bus one day trying to grill him on this, he promised that he was going to give us the entire story of the process. So we probably will learn this at some point later.
But, you know, when you think about it, this is -- in the kind of qualities that John McCain was trying to and needed to pick in order to pick a whole host of constituencies, you could argue that it is -- the McCain campaign is arguing that it's sort of wrapped up in this one candidate. She is a woman, but she is a gun-toting woman. She is a woman who is against abortion. She is a woman, though, who is sort of against the grain and against the establishment.
Those are all things that, you know, kind of embodied the different aspects of the constituencies that John McCain need to get, especially, especially with regard to those social conservatives. I mean I have gotten so many e-mails on my Blackberry today from groups across the board in the social conservative community saying that they are absolutely thrilled with this. That is something that is a very positive thing for John McCain going into November -- John.
ROBERTS: Certainly going to shake up the dynamic as they head into that Republican National Convention on Monday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Dana Bash, I know you've got to run to get on the Straight Talk Express. We'll cut you loose and we'll hear from you a little bit later on during the day.
Wolf Blitzer is in St. Paul for us. He got on the ground just a little while ago.
Wolf, we were talking earlier about the match-up between Governor Palin and Senator Joe Biden during that vice presidential debate. And we may have some indication as to how she'll do in that debate. If we look at her history back at high school, when she was at the Wasilla High School there in Wasilla, she was a point guard on the basketball team. Her nickname was Sarah barracuda.
BLITZER: Sounds like a tough kid in high school, little Sarah barracuda.
You know, there's no doubt, all of a sudden, John, this Republican National Convention that's going to be taking place at the Xcel Energy Center right behind me, starts on Monday, is going to be a lot more compelling than it might have been if he had gone with a much more traditional choice along the lines of let's say a Mitt Romney or even Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota. This is a very out of the box choice designed to shake things up. And I think, and it was -- it clearly came through in Governor Palin's remarks, she's going after and he's going after some of those frustrated, disgruntled Hillary Clinton women, working class women, elderly women who may not necessarily be yet convinced that Obama and Biden is the right way to go. They see an opening.
In all my conversations, when I was in Denver with you, John, over the past few days, a lot of the top Obama strategists were concerned that John McCain would do precisely this, bring in a woman that would shake things up in this campaign. It was also very interesting to me, neither McCain nor Palin in these remarks today, I didn't hear any direct mention of Barack Obama. I didn't hear any direct mention of Joe Biden. I did hear, as you heard, as a reference to Geraldine Ferraro and a reference to Hillary Clinton. But I didn't hear any attacks on the -- direct attacks on the two men of the Democratic presidential ticket. I'm sure we'll hear a lot more of that in the next few days here in St. Paul.
ROBERTS: Certainly. What did you -- I asked this question of Dana Bash. Wolf, what did you make of the relationship between the two of them? Because there were two considerations really that you had when picking a vice presidential running mate. You want somebody who can immediately step into the shoes of the presidency if, God forbid, something should happen to the president.
And the other thing that you want is chemistry. There are some issues regarding the amount of experience that she has. And whether or not she is ready to step into the shoes of the presidency. The McCain campaign insists that she is. But what did you think of the chemistry between the two of them?
BLITZER: I think the chemistry's probably good. John McCain, knowing him as I do, I don't think he wanted someone where there wasn't good chemistry. And probably the major reason why he decided not to pick Mitt Romney, for example, because they had a bitter primary battle and I'm sure the chemistry there wasn't all that good. He wanted to feel comfortable.
I suspect if he would have had his way, he might have gone with Joe Lieberman, for example, who he feels extremely comfortable with. One of his best friends. But giving Lieberman's Democratic Party past, given his support for abortion rights and gay rights, that probably was a non-starter to begin with.
I suspect the chemistry with Governor Palin is good. That's why he liked her. And I also feel that, you know, he really wanted the shake things up a little bit and that's exactly what he's done. So now the Obama-Biden campaign, they have to go back and they have to rethink a little bit of their strategy over the next 68 days, 67 days.
ROBERTS: Certainly has shaken things up. A real out-of-the-box -- yes, certainly has shaken things up, Wolf. A real out-of-the-box pick. Wolf Blitzer there in St. Paul, who's going to be our headquarters . . .
BLITZER: Yes, this convention here -- I was going to say, this convention became more . . .
ROBERTS: Go ahead, Wolf.
BLITZER: This convention, the Republican Convention, all of a sudden became much more interesting.
ROBERTS: Yes, absolutely. Again, Wolf Blitzer there in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is going to be our headquarters over the next week as we launch into our coverage of the Republican National Convention.
In the studio with us right now is Tucker Bounds. He's a spokesman for the McCain campaign.
Tucker, good to see you.
I wonder if you could answer a couple of criticisms that are coming about this pick from the Obama campaign. They say that this takes the issue of experience off of the table. And, as well, we heard from Rahm Emanuel just recently. He released a statement that says, "this is not judgment, this is political panic in the pick of Governor Sarah Palin." What do you say to that? TUCKER BOUNDS, NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN: Wolf, with all due respect, when he was calling in earlier said, if it was left up to John McCain he would have gone with Joe Lieberman. Joe Lieberman is a close friend of Senator John McCain. But guess what? It was left up to John McCain and he chose Sarah Palin, because he chose someone that has a passion for change, a passion for shaking things up, reforming government. That's exactly what this ticket is about.
We have just had an extraordinary moment here at the McCain campaign headquarters. People are fired up. Democrats are e-mailing in. Republicans are circling. And we have -- we feel like we have the wind at our back and we're going to work it all the way through to Election Day.
ROBERTS: Let me stop you there for a second and just back you up, Tucker. You said Democrats are e-mailing in. What are they saying?
BOUNDS: You know, it's just, everybody's getting such positive feedback from their friends and contacts. This was a very -- a choice that John McCain made that brought a level of excitement, a level of change to the way that just internally in the campaign we've been working. It's just been really invigorating.
But I also want to go back to the experience thing that you -- experience question you mentioned about earlier, John. It's important to note that Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska. She has a record of achievement. She's taken on big oil. She's fought for alternative energy. She's an energy expert that's been on the commission that oversees so many energy resources that are important to all of us down here in the lower 48. This is an important decision. It was a great choice. We couldn't be more excited.
Barack Obama has been running for president since the day he entered the Senate. It is almost as if they're making a mistake. I can't believe that they would try and bring out experience when they have such little experience on the top of the ticket and would take shots at an executive level governor in Sarah Palin. I think it shows bad judgment by Barack Obama. I think it shows bad judgment by his campaign.
ROBERTS: Let me ask you one question. You mentioned energy there, Tucker. And there's an issue on which the nominee or the presumed nominee and his running mate disagree here. And that's drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Governor Palin is for drilling in the refuge, Senator McCain still is not sure that this is a good idea. He calls it a pristine area. He would like to see an increase in offshore drilling. How do you reconcile their difference there over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
BOUNDS: I think this is something that's easily reconcilable. Both of these candidates that share the ticket, John McCain, Governor Palin, share a passion for changing government. Performing the way things get done. They want to deliver solutions for American families that are staring high gas prices right in the face that need a change. Sarah Palin has shown her ability to do that in Alaska. She's, today, spoke about her passion and her willingness to come to Washington, to make change, to share in John McCain's mission of changing the way business is done in Washington, shaking things up. That's the reconciliation. Because we have a ticket that is built on reforming Washington and is built on a record of doing so, John. That's the big difference.
ROBERTS: All right, Tucker Bounds, national spokesman for the McCain campaign on the phone for us.
Tucker, thanks very much for your time.
We also have with us the executive director of the National Governor Association, Nick Ayers.
And, Nick, we had Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on not too long ago. She was coming to us from Dallas. We asked her about the pick of Governor Sarah Palin. She seemed to appreciate it. Seemed to think it was a good idea. But she also said, I don't know much about her. And there does seem to be, you know, we're starting to fill in the background story here. There does seem to be a little bit of a lack of recognition of her nationwide. What can you tell us about the governor in your association with her?
NICK AYERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION: Well, a U.S. senator may not know much about her, but I can tell you that her 21 Republican governor colleagues know a lot about Sarah Palin and they're fired up this morning. I don't think they're surprised at all by this pick.
You know, Governor Palin is someone that they have already thought so much of and have so much trust in. They asked her to keynote an energy conference in Texas back in April that we put together. So I don't think her Republican governor colleagues are surprised by this at all. She's humble. She's always on point. She's a person of faith. And I think the more people get to know about her, the more excited people will be.
ROBERTS: All right. Well what can you -- how do you answer these questions about her experience? She was the mayor of a town of fewer than 10,000 people. She's been the governor of Alaska for less than two years. And yet Senator McCain has got her on a ticket now where she will be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
What can you do to assure voters out there, Republicans and Independent-minded voters who might be taking a look at this ticket, to say, God forbid should something happen to Senator McCain, if he becomes president, she is absolutely ready, 100 percent prepared, to step into the shoes of the presidency.
AYERS: Well, John, let's be clear, Governor Palin already has two more years executive experience than Barack Obama or Joe Biden, who have spent their careers in Washington, have. She's had to balance a budget. She's had to be commander in chief of a national guard. So experience won't be an issue. If the Democrats try to make it one, that's a fight worth fighting and we'll win it.
She has been a chief executive for two years and has the complete confidence of all of her colleagues around the country who feel -- will have a lot of confidence in her as vice president.
ROBERTS: How do you see her role, Nick, as the running mate? It's a pretty clear role for Senator Joe Biden that Barack Obama doesn't exactly have the full DNA to go out there on the attack day after day after day. Joe Biden effectively fills that role.
What do you think her role will be? How do you see it, together with John McCain topping the ticket? Will she be the sort of attack dog that a vice-presidential running mate has traditionally been? Or will she be something else?
AYERS: No, she won't be the attack dog, John, because this election shouldn't be about attacks. That's certainly what they hired Joe Biden for.
Sarah Palin brings executive experience to the ticket. She's from one of the largest energy-producing states in the country. She knows a lot about energy. Her role in this election will be reaching out to women who are probably upset that Hillary Clinton, who got 18 million votes, didn't find her way on the ticket.
You know, we've got a perfect pick in Sarah Palin, someone who can reach out to those Clinton supporters but also fire up the Republican base. It's a perfect pick. And I think Republicans, Democrats, and independents will be able to unite behind this ticket.
ROBERTS: Nick Ayers, the executive director of the National Governors' Association. Nick, thanks.
AYERS: Republican Governors' Association.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it. All right.
AYERS: Thanks, John.
