Liberal Mike Gravel: Palin a ‘Very Good Choice’ Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:57 PM
By: Jim Meyers
Former Sen. Mike Gravel is a liberal who sought the Democratic presidential nomination this year, but he is staunchly defending the choice of a conservative fellow Alaskan, Sarah Palin, as the Republican vice presidential nominee.
In a radio interview conducted during the GOP National Convention, Gravel — who represented Alaska in the Senate from 1969 to 1981, said the so-called “Troopergate” issue would play out in Palin’s favor.
“I have no particular negatives with respect to her,” he said of the Alaska governor.
“Obviously she holds some ideological views that I disagree with, but McCain, in my mind, made a very good choice…
“I don’t hold many views with respect to McCain, but McCain has been an on and off maverick — I wish he’s been a lot more on than off — but he picked a person who is very, very unusual.
“She has had the courage to put integrity above party. She stood up to the Republican Party and the corruption therein within Alaska.”
Asked if he thought Palin, in light of her inexperience, was ready to lead, Gravel — who switched to the Libertarian Party in March — snapped: “That’s the same old political garbage, and that’s one of the reasons I applaud, as a former Democrat, as a Libertarian, I applaud his selection of Sarah Palin. She hasn’t put up with … that kind of partisan, silly rhetoric.”
Gravel said Palin’s “thin resume” could actually prove to be an asset. “The longer people stay in politics, the more likelihood they have of getting corrupted,” he said in the interview.
But he noted that Palin, who became governor in December 2006 after serving as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, “has more executive experience than Obama, McCain and Biden put together.”
Palin was asked about “Troopergate,” the controversy surrounding her dismissal in July of her public safety commissioner. Palin says he was fired for cause, while critics maintain he was axed because he wouldn’t bend to pressure to fire a state trooper who had been involved in a rancorous divorce battle with Palin’s sister.
The trooper served a five-day suspension after the Palin family filed a complaint alleging he had threatened Palin’s father. They also accused him of drinking in his patrol car.
“Troopergate is going to come out in her favor,” Gravel declared.
“This trooper should have been fired … This is a guy that shouldn’t be wearing a badge, not when he is threatening people’s lives…
“She should have had the ability, rules aside, to fire him. Why does the infraction have to be on her side? Why not the infraction on the inability of the police leadership, because of union practices, to get rid of a bad apple? Did they have to wait until he kills someone before they get rid of him?”
Gravel opined that the pregnancy of Palin’s unmarried 17-year-old daughter would also “play in her favor” by demonstrating how close knit her family is, adding that the issue “is none of our damn business.”
Gravel said he disagreed with the assertion that Palin’s views on abortion are “extreme,” while at the same time defending McCain’s right to choose a running mate with a strong pro-life stance.
“Is McCain not entitled to pick someone of his choice?” he said.
“There is a legitimate conservative element of that party and so McCain picks somebody they want. It may not suit you, but it suits them.
“McCain is entitled to have somebody on his ticket that he respects, and he respects the fact that she has the courage to stand up to Republican corruption. Not Democratic corruption, Republican corruption.”
Asked if he could possibly vote for the McCain-Palin ticket, Gravel responded: “No way. Nor will I vote for Obama.”
He added: “Why did I leave the Democratic Party? The Democratic Party is the party of war. We would not be in Iraq if it hadn’t been for the Democrats. It was the Democrats and Republicans in Congress that made that possible.
“It’s the Democrats and Republicans that have funded this whole debacle. McCain, Obama, and Biden — they have all this experience on foreign policy. They are the ones who are supporting, in their political decisions, American imperialism.”
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/Gravel_defends_Palin/2008/09/10/129465.html
