by Mark Silva
Arthur "A.B.'' Culvahouse, a prominent Washington attorney who served as White House counsel to President Ronald Reagan during the president's final two years and led Sen. John McCain's search for a running mate - a search that included a "long list'' of 26 candidates - told the tale today of picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
After the vetting of all the candidates, and paring them to a short list, McCain asked Culvahouse for the "bottom line'' on Palin.
""I said, 'John, high risk, high reward,''' Culvahouse said today. "His response - 'You shouldn't have told me that. I've been a risk-taker all of my life.'''
Culvahouse was addressing the Republican National Lawyers Association today at the National Press Club, and C-SPAN was running a camera.
"There were three rules,'' Culvahouse said of himself and McCain. "He was the decider. There was no one between him and me.... There was no one who was going to say, 'This one is on the list, this one is off the list'... Third... he could not pick anyone that I had not vetted.''
Culvahouse, a former counsel to then-Sen. Howard Baker in the 1970s, had delivered Baker's paperwork when he was being considered for Gerald Ford's vice president - there were 19 questions asked.
"The questionnaire I sent out for John McCain had 74,'' Culvahouse said - noting that some had generic titles, such as "the Zoe Baird question... There was no debating about what 'the meaning of is, is'... I wrote that question... 'Have you ever been unfaithful?... 'Is there anyone who could truthfully assert you've been unfaithful?'''
They considered many.
"We had 26 people on the long list. It was a blind basis... They did not know they were on the list,'' said Culvahouse, who had a staff of 30 lawyers helping him who wrote 50-page reports on the candidates.
"Gov. Palin told us everything - everything except the pregnancy (of) her daughter was on the written questionnaire,'' he said of Palin, who discussed teenage daughter Bristol's pregnancy privately. "She told me there was one issue she wanted to talk about. We knew everything going in.''
Palin "has lots of presence. She fills up a room,'' said Culvahouse, noting that some of his most cynical colleagues also were impressed with her.
Culvahouse, commenting on the later, damaging interviews that Palin gave to CBS News anchor Katie Couric, suggested that the wrong impression had come from those sessions - such as the idea that Palin was not familiar with Supreme Court rulings.
"She clearly did... My law firm represents Exxon in the Valdez matters,'' he noted. "Until she became governor, Gov. Palin was a plaintiff in that case...''
They asked her why she wanted to be vice president -- "the question Judge Bork was not prepared to answer -- why he wanted to be on the Supreme Court,'' said Culvahouse, who also handled Bork on the Hill.
They asked her if she is prepared to use nuclear weapons in the defense of the American homeland, he said, and they asked her if, say Osama bin Laden should be spotted, but taking him out would result in many other casualties, would she take the shot?
"She knocked those three questions out of the park,'' he said.
"She would have been a great vice president... She wouldn't have been ready on Jan. 20,'' he allowed, but then most people wouldn't, save for Dick Cheney when he joined George W. Bush's ticket in 2000 ( after conducting a nationwide search for himself, our comment, not A.B.'s)
"Qualifications in this town meant someone with a great resume,'' Culvahouse said today. "As John... directed me, it was someone who had the capacity to be president.''
Culvahouse, who spoke at length about the Iran-Contra scandal, maintaining that he was certain that Reagan hadn't known about the diversion of funds, also advised his audience that: "I'm a Washington lawyer. I'm a cynic. I didn't just get off the bus.''
Comments
""She would have been a great vice president..."
""I'm a Washington lawyer. I'm a cynic. I didn't just get off the bus.''"
If you didn't just get off the bus, someone should have THROWN you off with your vision of Sweet Sara. She can't even govern Alaska, much less know other Supreme Court Cases (yeah, right!).
And people wonder why Washington is so screwed up!
Posted by: barkleyg | April 17, 2009 4:57 PM
""I said, 'John, high risk, high reward,''' Culvahouse said today. "His response - 'You shouldn't have told me that. I've been a risk-taker all of my life.'''
It was exactly the reckless of his choice that cost him the election. It was a huge gamble. Fortunately McCain lost and America won.
Posted by: thebob.bob | April 17, 2009 7:01 PM
The Alaska Legislature rejected Gov. Sarah Palin’s nominee for state attorney general on Thursday, a setback for the Republican governor as she struggles to navigate her first legislative session since running for vice president. In a joint session, the State Senate and House voted 35 to 23 against confirming Wayne A. Ross.
Posted by: Bewildered | April 17, 2009 8:51 PM
A self-proclaimed cynic that believes Reagan knew nothing about Iran-Contra. King George I was VP and former Director of Central Intelligence.
Nope, no need for any suspicion there.
Just keep moving along sheeple.
Posted by: Bubba ✔ | April 17, 2009 9:50 PM
So ... the 'vetting' didn't include anything about her support of Pebble Mine project (which would/will impact on the environment and a major salmon run), Troopergate, Wasilla sports complex, Bridge (& then Road) to Nowhere, etc.? Not to mention more personal as well as political issues which might have created a suspicion of her diviseness and need to be in control?
Heck, sounds like I did more research on Palin than the vetting team did...which led me to vote against a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since registering with the party.
Posted by: Mary T | April 17, 2009 10:16 PM
Hope that McCain won't again for President in 2012. Palin won't get the nominee for President in 2012.
Posted by: mary | April 17, 2009 10:31 PM
He is right, Sarah Palin would have made a GREAT VP.
Now we have a POTUS that does not like America and will destroy what is still good about this country and a VP, what a minute do we even have a VP.
Posted by: JeanA | April 18, 2009 1:19 AM
bobbob,
Regardless of what you are being told by the media, Palin did not cost McCain the election. She nearly drug his carcass across the finish line. What cost him the election was the economy and his disjointed responses. His comments did not inspire confidence. Obama for his many faults and incredible lack of experience at least acted confident even if he had no reason.
Posted by: Largebill | April 18, 2009 8:30 AM
SARAH MAY
(sung to Rod Stewart’s song “Maggie May”)
Wake up Sarah I think we’ve got something to say to you
Since last September you’ve really acted like a praying fool
The First Dude’s really a joke.
Not to mention your other kinfolk.
Oh, Sarah I wish we’d never seen your face
You’ve disgraced our wonderful home
Time has come for you to be de-throned
You reflect on us and that’s what really hurts
The morning sun when its in your face really shows your age
I’m sure that worries you some, cuz in your eyes you’re everything
You’re so damn full of yourself
Without a care for anyone else
Oh, Sarah your faults can’t be covered by paper and lace
You’ve disgraced our wonderful home
Got pranked by Sar-ko-zy on the phone
And you’ve cast your lot with likes of Ol’ Wayne Ross
What we needed was a Guv who was a role model
But you’re a backwoods “Hockey Mom” and
Mother what a bum, you’ll be thrown out
Levi Sleepin’ in Bristol’s bed
Renewed support for Old Uncle Ted
Oh, Sarah you’re bringing down the human race
You’ve disgraced our wonderful home
A lipsticked pitbull with a poisonous bone
Politics of hate are something we can live without
(Musical Interlude)
I suppose with all your fancy clothes you’ll be a talk show host
Or use some common sense and have your mental state diagnosed
Or become a lobbying rat, and work for “Arctic Cat”
Oh, Sarah just leave and take along your base
You made first-class fools out of us
In school you must have rode on that short bus
You stole our hearts then threw that love away!
(Musical Interlude)
Sarah, I wish we’d never seen your face
We’ll get our pride back one of these days
Posted by: lynnrockets | April 18, 2009 4:49 PM
Hey JeanA. Yeah Sarah would've made a GREAT VP like Boy George made a GREAT PRES. This woman is the most clueless person in politics now that Bush left in total disgrace. Look, we tried stupid and incompetent for 8 years thanks to voters like yourself. Now once again, it's time for the adults to clean up the consrvatives mess. Since you and your ilk have been so wrong on just about everything, please tell us why we should be listening to anything you have to say?
America finally has a real leader who puts his country before he does his party. Loves it enough that he tries to make it better. When he sees it doing wrong, he puts it back on the right track. Much like a good parent will do when they see their child "stray". I don't expect you to understand this, oh well...
" I didn't say most conservatives were ignorant morons. I said, most ignorant morons were conservatives"...
Posted by: bill | April 20, 2009 10:55 AM