Legalities
Life, Politics and the Law From ABC News Correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg
Jan Crawford Greenburg is a correspondent for ABC News' bureau in Washington DC. She covers politics, the Supreme Court and provides legal analysis for ABC News. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago's law school and is a member of the New York bar.
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Timing...Is Everything
September 03, 2008 12:21 PM
Following up here on what I posted last night, Dan Balz has a fascinating piece in today’s Washington Post with more details about how Sarah Palin skyrocketed to the top of McCain’s short list over Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and others. As I wrote last night, there’s a lot to puzzle over, and Balz provides a bunch of new clues—and some incredible information about the frenzied rush of vetting in the final hours before McCain introduced his VP choice to the nation.
Balz’ piece squares neatly with what I’ve heard and reported from multiple sources: That Palin suddenly emerged as a serious prospect—and triggered a flurry of 11th-hour vetting--after John McCain reluctantly and unhappily concluded last week that he could not tap his old friend Joe Lieberman, an Independent Democrat.
McCain’s stunner of a choice—shocking even some of his senior advisers, his closest friends and his most loyal allies—has everyone wondering how it happened. And that’s one reason people like Walter Mondale and Dan Quayle, who have both been through the wringer, caution against surprises on VP selection.
The surprise itself becomes part of the story, prompting questions about how—and why—it happened, and what it all says about the candidate at the top of the ticket. And that's just what what we've seen since the weekend.
For the past couple days, the campaign has pushed back hard against news accounts that Palin became a top contender only at the last moment and was, as a result, hastily and insufficiently vetted. As proof, they say she went through all the same procedures as other short-listers, including completing a 70-item questionnaire and then a grilling last week by lawyer A.B. Culvahouse.
And so, from the campaign’s perspective, there’s no reason to question John McCain’s decision to suddenly turn his focus to her last week.
But Balz suggests there’s a lot more there than the campaign is letting on—or rather, what the campaign has been letting on isn’t exactly dead-on. For example, Balz reports that Culvahouse was “chasing down last-minute information about Pawlenty at the request of the campaign as late as last Thursday.”
As late as last Thursday?
Last Thursday was the day McCain offered the job to Palin—and the day before he announced his choice Friday in Ohio. That makes little sense, in light of the campaign’s official tick-tock of how McCain offered the job to Palin. Here’s the campaign's official version of the story last Friday afternoon:
“On Thursday morning, Governor Palin and staff were joined by Mrs. Cindy McCain and later joined by John McCain at the McCain family home in Sedona, Arizona. At approximately 11:00 a.m. Thursday August 28, 2008, John McCain formally invited Governor Sarah Palin to join the Republican ticket as the vice presidential nominee on the deck of the McCain family home.”
(Emphasis added!) Would that be 11 a.m. Mountain Standard Time in Arizona? Or 1 p.m. in St. Paul, MN—on Central Daylight Time—where A.B. Culvahouse was supposedly chasing down last-minute questions on Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty?
Did Culvahouse suddenly discover damaging info on Pawlenty that morning? Enough to exclude him from consideration and force McCain to tap Palin?
Or was the Pawlenty ploy part of an elaborate feint? A way to use Pawlenty—one of McCain’s most loyal surrogates, a man he’s known 20 years--to deliberately mislead his own campaign and the media?
The biggest unknown question---the one that would resolve this vexing mystery about the sudden rise of Palin—is whether McCain originally had Palin in a select group that, multiple sources say, Culvahouse began intensively vetting in early August.
McCain himself narrowed his list down in late July and put that group through the final stage of vetting—the provision by the candidates of financial and medical records as well as a lengthy interview with Culvahouse and his legal team.
Multiple sources say that process was finished in early August---certainly before McCain met with his top advisers in Apsen, Colorado in mid-August--and had settled on a group that included Lieberman, Pawlenty and Mitt Romney—as well as Tom Ridge, and either Charlie Crist or Bobby Jindal.
But what about Palin? Where was she at that point?
The campaign says she was on the “list” from the start—but which list? Was she on the list of 40 who got a general public records vet back in late spring? The shorter list of 20 who filled out the 70-question questionnaire in July? Or the original “real” short list—the candidates who, multiple sources say, a month ago turned over documents, medical histories and subjected themselves to an interrogation by Culvahouse and his team?
And if she was on that real short list from the beginning, why didn’t McCain talk about her with his senior advisers in multiple meetings during the month of August, when they met to discuss the pros and cons of the top contenders? And why was Culvahouse just getting around to interviewing her last week---on the day before McCain offered her the job?
That's the biggest mystery of all, because some of the questions Culvahouse asked went well beyond the personal. They went to how a candidate thinks about issues and the world. They aren't the kind of questions you ask at the last minute to make sure the person hadn't snorted cocaine or hired an illegal nanny.
According to Balz, Culvahouse asked things like, "If the CIA were to report that Osama bin Laden had been identified in the frontiers of northern Pakistan, but that an attempt to kill him would result in civilian casualties, would the person authorize such an action?"
And they are questions that lead to follow ups--follow ups that could take more than a day. Like this one, also asked by Culvahouse, according to Balz: "If Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean announced that he was holding a news conference with a mystery person to reveal damaging information about the candidate, who would they most fear it would be?"
So here's this question for Culvahouse and the campaign: How did McCain analyze this choice--how did he process all this information and select his VP--if he and Culvahouse took less than 24 hours to ask those questions--and analyze her answers? And why did they wait until the last day to do that, if she had been on the “real short list” for a month?
September 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (17)
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We will never know! I do not think the press has it them to keep asking.
Posted by: Thinking | Sep 3, 2008 12:41:33 PM
The details that have emerged clearly show she was chosen at the 11th hour. McCain caved in to the religious right after learning from his aides and Karl Rove that there would be a floor fight at the convention if he selected his # 1 choice, Joe Lieberman. This hasty decision by McCain shows his lack of judgment. I don't want him in the White House making more reckless decisions like this one.
Posted by: ram | Sep 3, 2008 12:55:50 PM
The McCain camp will continue their lies and insist she was vetted way before the decision...
The Media should keep on this, with enough scrutiny, they will falter and the lies will be seen.
She is a laughing stock, she knows she is not qualified but in her own sick way, she feels she deserves this.
The American people are way too smart to fall for this and we will not be duped... the only ones defending McCain and Palin are the way off right wing conservatives who have no values or common sense.. they rest of us know and see right through them.
Posted by: L | Sep 3, 2008 1:08:47 PM
The media must continue with this issue. The McCain campaign wants to stop it. We must not allow it.
Posted by: patty | Sep 3, 2008 1:09:06 PM
Bail out John wile you can! This is only the warm up act.
Posted by: DMR | Sep 3, 2008 1:18:13 PM
I agree that the media should persist in thoroughly vetting Governor Palin, since McCain obviously failed to do so. The American people deserve the truth, and there are so many things that don't add up about her story (including "babygate") that it is fair to ask whether she is genuine or a fraud. It would be truly a disaster for the country to learn that this is all a charade, sometime after Election Day.
Posted by: Kay Lee | Sep 3, 2008 1:21:40 PM
John McCain chose Sarah Palin because he’s a man who knows how to make a bold decision. Barack Obama chose Joe Biden because Michelle told him not to choose Hillary. Thank you, Michelle!
Posted by: Carrie | Sep 3, 2008 1:23:14 PM
Palin wasn't McCain's choice, it was the choice made by his campaign! They needed a VP to appeal to the value voters - voters who could care less about a candidate's qualifications and leadership ability as long as that candidate has the same values as they do! So it wasn't McCain's choice for VP, he wanted Lieberman, but his campaign (the ones who are really running things)who chose Palin. And the final decision was made at the last minute when McCain conceded that he couldn't have Lieberman.
Posted by: Gerry - Denver | Sep 3, 2008 1:23:53 PM
My first thoughts were - a trophy sidekick. I would not vote for ticket just because a woman was on it if she were not qualified - Palin does not have the international exposure that is so necessary and McCain is not in tune with the economy for the majority of this nation.
That's all folks
Posted by: gina | Sep 3, 2008 1:31:20 PM
Sarah Palin fires up the conservative and evangelical base and she attracts female swing voters and hardcore Hillary supporters out to wreck things fo the Democrats. Repubs know they don't have to get many Hillary supporters. A few percentage points will make the difference. No wonder the Obamabots and their conspirators in the MSM are going after Palin so visciously. The nastiness of the attacks is indicative of their fear.
Posted by: Carrie | Sep 3, 2008 1:33:47 PM
Duped? By Palin if that's the case pales in comparison to duped by Obama.
Posted by: Obama-Yah-Wright | Sep 3, 2008 1:38:48 PM
Carrie- Choosing Palin to get women's votes, particulary "hardcore Hillary supporters" as you describe them, is offensive to those who supported Ms. Clinton for her stands on the issues. Palin's ultra-conservative views that the "conservative and evangelical base" love is the antithesis of what Hillary stands for. It is an insult to their intelligence. This transparent, last- minute panicked choice by McCain will backfire. The Democrats are not in fear; they are elated.
Posted by: ram | Sep 3, 2008 1:49:20 PM
Man I just love it! :) You Lib's got caught flat footed. All you have is her daughter to beat up on? You'll find thousands of young ladies in the same position, with "NO HOPE" of marriage. Here's an example of CHOICE, but it's apparent that you would be happier if Palins daughter aborted, sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyy. GOD will bless her for, HER CHOICE!! First you beat up on our troops in Iraq but since (WE ARE WINNING) now you change your target and beat up on teenagers, SICK. Vice President Palin can go out in the woods, shoot a Moose, dress it down, bring it home and cook it, exactly like she's going to do to all you disillusioned Dem's. And hats of to Joe Lieberman for a job well done. Come on all you undecided Mothers and Daughters, GET ON BOARD and do the right thing, not the "Wright" thing.
Posted by: bombem | Sep 3, 2008 2:01:43 PM
Communications Major.
Ran for town mayor on an anti-abortion plank, not road-paving or sewer installation. Asked voters to recognize her values as is witnessed by her church life.
Abstinence-only, no sex education. Praises daughter's choice, choice she would deny other US women.
Defunded the public library. Funded school sports facilities.
Governed a state of 600,000 for 19 months.
By all accounts, she not ready for President. The shoot from the hip decision making reminds me of Bush.
Posted by: Jeff | Sep 3, 2008 4:44:06 PM
It's certainly still a mystery, despite everyone's theory, how McCain made his choice. Was it a wise political move, a risky go-for-broke, or something else entirely?
As an amateur political junkie, I have to wonder about the vetting processes used. After searching the internet for a few hours one is able to come up with the media's take on all the issues covered to date.
So why hasn't Palin's alleged involvement over several years with Alaska Independence Party (AIP) come up in a MSM article yet?
Palin's husband was reportedly a member of this radical political party for seven years. No mention at all. One of the AIP's goals is "... a vote on secession" from the U.S.
Pretty radical if you ask me and I consider myself a cross between Progressive and Libertarian with a few moderate traits.
Thank you for your article!
Posted by: Jefferson_T | Sep 3, 2008 9:39:22 PM
The Governor Sarah (Pontius Pilate) Palin vs. The Community organizer (the one) Barack Obama.
I wonder what would Jesus do? We know what the governor will do, AGAIN if givin the opportunity. Abuse of power charges? yea we need more of that in Rome/ Washington.
Posted by: CFMA | Sep 4, 2008 12:41:53 PM
MCcain/ Palin proudly welcomes you to the fall of the American dynasty. Theres room for 95% of you. The other 5% are the ones putting the doing the production.
Posted by: CFMA | Sep 4, 2008 12:49:54 PM
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