John McCain: Sarah Palin was entirely qualified to be my VP

5/7/12

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By Amanda Dallas

John McCain: Sarah Palin was entirely qualified to be my VP

Photo credit: ABC News

Sarah Palin's qualifications are what earned her the spot as Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential elections, he told Jake Tapper on ABC's "The Week" on Sunday.

When asked what should be considered in the choosing of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's vice president, McCain said the "primary, absolute, most important aspect is if something happened to him, would that person be well qualified to take that place?"

The former POW said this was a major factor in his selection of Palin as his running mate.

"I happen to believe that was the ... primary factor on my decision in 2008," he said, "and I know it will be Mitt's."

He added that having a "person [Romney] knows he could trust," is an important factor.

Palin was heavily criticized during and after the 2008 campaign for being ill fit to assume the role of president if need be.

Regarding the number of candidates for second-in-command, McCain said he's "very happy to say we've got a very deep bench" to choose from.