Vetting of Palin is raising questions
McCain says the process was thorough, but others describe a more cursory examination.
ST. PAUL, MINN. — John McCain first met Sarah Palin in February. Six months later, he asked her to be his running mate.
The way McCain weighed and discarded vice presidential prospects over that time has come under scrutiny as the choice of Palin turns politically perilous. The question is whether McCain carefully vetted his selection and, if he did not, what that says about the judgment and decision-making the presumed Republican nominee would bring to the White House.
The campaign describes a process that left no proverbial stone unturned, with lawyers and investigators taking months to scour matters including Palin's credit history and the formal complaints that citizens lodged against her as mayor of Wasilla and, for the last 21 months, as Alaska's governor. Breaking two days of silence, McCain told reporters Tuesday in Pennsylvania, "The vetting process was completely thorough, and I'm grateful for the results."
But others described a more cursory examination that has resulted in a series of surprises -- at least for some -- including the revelation that Palin's unwed teenage daughter is five months pregnant.
Lyda Green, president of the Republican-run Alaska State Senate, said she never heard from anyone connected with the McCain campaign, nor did others in the state whom Green considered obvious sources of useful information.
"I would definitely have talked to people in the [Republican] party," said Green, a onetime ally of Palin whose relationship soured when she became governor. "I would have gone to the business community . . . major political folks around the state. I've not heard of anybody who's been talked to or interviewed or questioned."
Palin, who has been secluded since arriving Sunday night in St. Paul, is scheduled to deliver her widely anticipated acceptance speech at tonight's session of the Republican National Convention. Asked Tuesday whether Palin would address "some of the controversies that have been swirling around her" -- involving her 17-year-old daughter, her husband's long-ago drunk-driving arrest, her pursuit of Washington pork-barrel "earmarks" and her encouragement of a political party that favors a vote on Alaska's secession from the United States -- campaign manager Rick Davis told reporters, "You're going to have to tune in to witness it firsthand."
