Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday offered his views on what's most important when it comes to a vice presidential search, queuing on some of the missteps that have been made in the past.
Cheney highlighted Sen. John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin in the 2008 race as a mistake. "That one I don’t think was well handled," he said in an interview with ABC's Jon Karl that will air on Monday.
Cheney said that any presidential nominee should consider the ability of a potential running mate to handle the office of the presidency, as well as the running mate's attractiveness to voters. Palin was widely considered a brilliant choice initially, as she provided a much-needed shot of enthusiasm into the Republican base, but later became a liability when she revealed her lack of knowledge on a range of foreign and domestic policies and issues.
Cheney said "one of the problems that McCain had" was just that: Palin served him well on the campaign trail, but wasn't ready for the presidency.
“I like Gov. Palin. I met her. I know her. She is an attractive candidate, but based on her background – she had only been governor for about two years – I don’t think she passed that test of being ready to take over," he said.
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