Filed at 8:22 a.m. ET
BURBANK, California (Reuters) - Former U.S. presidential candidate John
McCain on Tuesday shrugged off criticism leveled at his running mate, Sarah
Palin, saying he expects her "to play a big role in the future of this
country."
The Republican senator from Arizona rallied to the defense of his vice
presidential pick in an appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno," his first television interview since losing his White House bid to
Democrat Barack
Obama a week earlier.
Asked by Leno about commentary from pundits across the political spectrum who
judged the Alaska governor to be a drag on the Republican ticket, McCain, 72,
denied she had hurt his campaign.
"I'm so proud of her and very grateful that she agreed to run with me. She
inspired people. She still does," McCain said. "I couldn't be happier with Sarah
Palin, and she's gone back to be a great governor, and I think she will play a
big role in the future of this country."
Palin, virtually unknown outside her home state before McCain tapped her as
his running mate in late August, in recent interviews has left open the
possibility she may seek higher office.
Palin has drawn a strong following among the Republican
Party's conservative base, but also substantial fire from critics who
charged that her record as Alaska governor was at odds with her image as a
political reformer.
As the 2008 presidential race drew to a close last Tuesday, the media was
filled with stories attributed to McCain campaign aides questioning Palin's
judgment, her readiness to serve and her intellect.
FALSE SMEARS
In addition to mounting criticism about pricey wardrobe purchases for her
during the race, a recent Fox News Channel report cited unnamed campaign sources
saying Palin did not know Africa was a continent and could not name the three
countries that had signed the North
American Free Trade Agreement.
Palin has dismissed such criticism as false smears planted by "jerks" too
cowardly to speak publicly. William McGurn, a former speech writer for President
George
W. Bush and editorialist for the Wall Street Journal, urged McCain in a
newspaper column on Tuesday to condemn the attacks on Palin.
Asked about them by Leno, McCain suggested such criticism amounted to sour
grapes from people claiming to be campaign insiders.
"I think I have at least a thousand, quote, 'Top advisers,'" he said. "These
things go on in campaigns, and you just have to move on."
Choosing the relaxed setting of America's top-rated late-night talk show for
his first post-election TV interview, McCain joked that since the election he
has been "sleeping like a baby."
"I sleep two hours, wake up and cry," he said to laughter, but when pressed
he declined to second-guess his own campaign.
He also ruled out another run for president, saying: "I wouldn't think so, my
friend ... we're going to have another generation of leaders coming along."