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McCain Defends Staffers From Palin: 'I Think It's Just Time To Move On'
Fmr. Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is now defending his former presidential campaign staffers from attacks by his ex-running mate, Sarah Palin.
"There's been a lot of dust flying around in the last few days and I just wanted to mention that I have the highest regard for Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace and the rest of the team ... and I appreciated all the hard work and everything they did to help the campaign," McCain told Reuters.
He added: "I think it's just time to move on."
"Campaigns are high-pressure situations. The only more high-pressure situation that I've been in is combat and prison," said McCain. "But you know, I'm proud of Nicolle and Steve and Rick Smith and Mark Salter and I'll always have great affection for them."
Spencer Ackerman wonders whether McCain himself just slipped up when he referred to "Rick Smith" -- that he may have meant to say "Rick Davis."
McCain remained positive about Palin: "I'm still really proud of her and the campaign she ran and I think it's pretty obvious that she has a substantial base and interest out there."
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Why oh why
November 18, 2009 4:49 PM
McCain vs. Palin.
It's on! Finally.
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Kilroy77
November 18, 2009 6:23 PM in reply to Why oh why
Moron
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FebM
November 18, 2009 7:44 PM in reply to Why oh why
Shouldn't the depart of Education vet Palins book? Oh never mind it was done by a ghost writer otherwise, she would set the education standards back decades.
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JNagarya
November 19, 2009 5:06 AM in reply to Why oh why
Not yet it isn't. Hero McCain is ducking, and attempting a no-show to that fight. I betcha she keeps pushing and needling until he finally bitch-slaps her teeth down her throat.
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Water
November 18, 2009 4:54 PM
the campaign she ran? the one she ran for governor of Alaska? or the one she ran for VP separate from the McCain presidential campaign? Maybe he meant "really proud of her and how she did in the campaign".
probably me parsing words but.. okay
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Abouttime
November 18, 2009 4:58 PM
McCain will never directly bash Palin because he's responsible for letting this venom loose on the nation.
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Walter Mitty
November 18, 2009 5:00 PM
McCain can't fire back because he's worried about a teabagger primary challenge. He already has one - a minuteman - however he wants to keep the Palin supporters out of it.
Here's hoping that McCain temper is ready to blow. McCain is very concerned with his legacy, he's going to have to hold return fire until he wins the primary.
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eve cairo
November 18, 2009 5:12 PM
WE'D LOVE TO MOVE ON BUT YOU SADDLED US WITH HER YOU OLD GOAT!
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slb
November 18, 2009 7:59 PM in reply to eve cairo
I sort of love that McCain is being made to squirm over and over again because of his rash choice of Palin as running mate.
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JadeZ
November 18, 2009 5:12 PM
no gun mccain cant tell the truth about palin because it would prove his pick to be a heartbeat away from being president was a disgrace.
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sleek
November 18, 2009 5:34 PM
McCain is the one who created the Monstrosity that is Palin.
His selection process was that she had only one qualification - a vagina.
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Kilroy77
November 18, 2009 6:26 PM in reply to sleek
You are an embarassment. Is that the most intelligent comment you could come up with? Really? Do you not like Palin because someone on that box that makes noises told you not to?
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uhyeahright
November 18, 2009 8:14 PM in reply to Kilroy77
Not at all embarrassing. See, if Palin had been a man possessed of such vacuousness and stupidity and incuriousness and ineptitude, McCain would have selected Lindsay Graham or someone more substantial. The ONLY reason he picked her was to attract disaffected Hillary supporters (FAIL!) and indy women (FAIL!), and to keep the women in the base from being attracted to Joe Biden. Therefore, her sole contribution to the campaign was her vagina. And after five kids, that vagina ain't all that. Just sayin'.
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cinesimon
November 18, 2009 8:26 PM in reply to Kilroy77
And THAT is all you could come up with?
A cliche?
How about this one - you may understand it better: UG UG UGGG UGG URRHHGGG:
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Beetlejuice
November 18, 2009 10:13 PM in reply to Kilroy77
What's the matter? Can't handle the truth?
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JNagarya
November 19, 2009 4:59 AM in reply to Kilroy77
I don't like Palin because she's noxious and toxic. And vindictive. And a liar claiming to be a "victim" while asserting that she's nnot "retreating" but "reloading".
She's the pig with the lipstick -- remember? SHE said so.
And becasue she's fucking stupid, like her dupe defenders.
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AZskeptic
November 19, 2009 8:29 AM in reply to JNagarya
Umm that would be pitbull. Pigs have more class.
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JNagarya
November 19, 2009 9:48 AM in reply to AZskeptic
I apologize to the pigs. But now I fear being attacked by dogs . . .
Interesting oxymoron: victim pitbull.
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chrisl
November 18, 2009 5:41 PM
I am still waiting for Mr. McCain's apology. He almost gave us a pathetic idiot as the VP.
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Ecumene
November 18, 2009 5:48 PM
The only bridge Palin hasn't burned is the bridge to nowhere.
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Winston Smith
November 18, 2009 6:04 PM
My God! They're both such fucking idiots!
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Hussein Stemper
November 18, 2009 6:17 PM
Guess her book is a little too mavericky for him...
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Willa Standing
November 18, 2009 6:38 PM
I'll never forgive the idiots that thought she would be good candidate. McCain is a doddering old flip-flopper. I don't know which is worse; the idea that he decided to choose her for his running mate, or that he actually wanted Lieberman. I sure wish he and Cheney would go on a hunting trip together. And bring along their buddy, Scalia. Uhg.
Uhg, uhg, ugh.
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jeffgee
November 18, 2009 7:03 PM
When is he going to apologize for unleashing the Alaska Pitbull on the nation?
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Peter Principle
November 18, 2009 7:08 PM
Shorter McCain: "If you think I'm going to take sides in this intra-party clusterfuck, you're crazy."
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CaptainScarlett
November 18, 2009 7:27 PM
Oh, eff me sideways! He managed to slip the POW reference in again. It's like a band that has only one album-- their 'Greatest Hits.'
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Viva!America!
November 18, 2009 7:49 PM
"Let's move on before people start asking me what the hell was I thinking and start holding me accountable"
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geofu54
November 18, 2009 7:57 PM
F**k you McCain.
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cinesimon
November 18, 2009 8:19 PM
McCain never saw combat!
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runfastandwin
November 18, 2009 8:50 PM
For the love of god, Senator McCain, retire now. You have screwed up enough, can't you just leave gracefully?
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Kuyleh
November 18, 2009 8:54 PM
Yeah, yeah. Whatever. So, are you kicking yourself yet? if you're not, I'm sure you can see the miles long line of people wanting to do it for you...
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macsurf
November 18, 2009 10:40 PM
Did you all see Fox News got bagged AGAIN for using old videos of past events to distort current reality, this time showing old clips of big crowds greeting whackjob from Wassula (sp) on the campaign trail from last year and claiming they were big crowds waiting to get her to autograph "Going Rouge"?
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bobjohnsonlives
November 19, 2009 2:25 AM
I have not paid much attention to Ms. Palin since the pres. election but now with her book and the renewed interest in her story I find it a little crazy that she is drawing so much attention.........her book really doesn't say anything new....there are a lot of zealots out there and I can't help but think that a right wing crazy might try and make her a martyr...in the muslim sense...its a terrible thought but really its probably the only way her name will last and I'm sure a few of her over the top team mates have already thought of the scenerio....crazier things have happened...and she is definately over the top.
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Joe Wise
November 19, 2009 2:53 AM
who is going to defend mccain when palin decides to go after him? it seems like anyone who is associated with this women would inevitably end up under the bus. stay away from her!
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VexSmith
November 19, 2009 3:50 AM
her book really doesn't say anything new...,
It's quite surprising in that regard. If I was her I'd have had someone come up with something with just a bit more heft. This thing is so light it will just float away from the teabag types dumb enough to buy it.
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JNagarya
November 19, 2009 5:00 AM in reply to VexSmith
I heard that her book has five hundred pages in it, but that only 37 have print on them.
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