Cheney regrets picking Sarah Palin as VP

Posted by admin American Politics Monday, July 30th, 2012

WITH the race for the White House now gathering momentum, Dick Cheney has some advice for Mitt Romney on choosing a running mate: Don’t pick another Sarah Palin.

Romney made an unannounced visit to the Western Wall in Israel’s Old City of Jerusalem yesterday, one of the most sacred sites in Judaism.

The visit came after several hours of meetings with top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. It came ahead of a speech Romney is to deliver later Sunday in which he is expected to voice a more aggressive stance toward Iran’s attempts to develop a nuclear weapon.

In his first interview since receiving a heart transplant in March, Cheney told ABC News, that John McCain’s decision to pick Palin as his running mate in 2008 was “a mistake” – one that it is important from Romney not to repeat.

It’s subject on which Cheney has some unique experience. He helped Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush lead their vice presidential searches and, of course, served as vice president for eight years. He’s also privately offered some advice to both Romney and Beth Myers, who is leading Romney’s search for a runningmate, on the process.

Cheney would not comment on what he told Romney and Myers, but he was harsh in his assessment of McCain’s decision to pick Palin.

“That one,” Cheney said, “I don’t think was well handled.”

“The test to get on that small list has to be, ‘Is this person capable of being president of the United States?’”

Cheney believes Sarah Palin failed that test.

“I like Governor Palin. I’ve met her. I know her. She – attractive candidate. But based on her background, she’d only been governor for, what, two years. I don’t think she passed that test…of being ready to take over. And I think that was a mistake.”

Briefing reporters ahead of the speech, Dan Senor, a foreign policy adviser to the GOP candidate, said Romney would back Israel if the country launched a unilateral military strike to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear capability—though the campaign was quick to emphasize the candidate is hopeful that diplomatic measures will prevent that from happening.

“Gov. Romney believes we should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is his fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so,” Senor told reporters.

“In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. Gov. Romney recognises Israel’s right to defend itself, and that it is right for America to stand with it.”

While Romney won’t directly criticize President Barack Obama or his policies, aides said the speech will argue for a tougher stance against Iran, insisting the option of military action shouldn’t be taken off the table.

According to excerpts of his remarks released by his campaign, Romney will argue that Iran is testing the world’s “moral defenses.”

They want to know who will object, and who will look away,” Romney will say, according to excerpts. “My message to the people of Israel and Iran is one and the same: I will not look away and neither will my country.”

Netanyahu embraced Romney’s aggressive language during a joint appearance with the GOP candidate earlier yesterday.

“Mitt, I couldn’t agree with you more,” Netanyahu said, as the GOP candidate stood at his side. “I think it’s important to do everything in our power to prevent the Ayatollahs from possessing that capability. We have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian programme by one iota.”

The only chance of stopping Iran, Netanyahu said, is a “strong and credible military threat coupled with sanctions.”

-via Guardianwp_posts