A.B. Culvahouse Praises Sarah Palin

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin can still count A.B. Culvahouse Jr. as one of her defenders in the Lower 48.
 
Culvahouse, O’Melveny & Myers’ chairman and the leader of the team that vetted Palin before Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose her as his running mate last summer, spoke about Palin this morning at the Republican National Lawyers Association’s policy conference at the National Press Club. During the vetting process, said Culvahouse, “Me and two of my most cynical partners interviewed her, and came away impressed.” Culvahouse added that Palin would “have been a great vice president,” and said that he told McCain exactly that.
 
So what was so impressive? Culvahouse said Palin hit certain, particularly tough questions “out of the park,” such as whether she was prepared to use nuclear weapons, and whether she would order the CIA to shoot Osama bin Laden even if it guaranteed civilian deaths. Culvahouse did not offer the details of Palin’s answers, but said, “She had a lot of capacity.”
 
Culvahouse waved off some of Palin’s more controversial moments during the campaign. He questioned the editing of the now-infamous Katie Couric interview, in which Palin was unable to name Supreme Court cases she disagreed with other than Roe v. Wade. Culvahouse said Palin obviously knew about the Exxon Valdez case, since his firm represented Exxon in the matter, and Palin herself was at one time a plaintiff.
 
He offered some insight into the vetting process as well. Culvahouse said he had a team of 30 lawyers helping him, and that there were 26 contenders on the long list of possible vice presidents. He said “John was the decider” when it came to the vetting process, and that there was not a committee pushing McCain to choose one way or another.
 
Culvahouse said he only learned he would lead the vetting team when it was publicly announced. He said the campaign asked if he would be involved in legal policy issues after he and Wiley Rein’s Richard Wiley hosted a fundraiser for McCain in October 2007. Culvahouse agreed that if McCain won the Republican nomination, he would help with vetting, but he said he didn’t hear from the McCain campaign for months after that. Then, during a press conference in Miami, when asked who would lead his vice presidential vetting effort, McCain announced that Culvahouse had the job.

Comments

[Dennis]

This story will get next to no play. The media is disinterested in anything that does not match their tabloid version of Governor Palin. They will only report on the very way these two bozos above see her. Google Sarah Palin on You Tube. Look at the numbers of those that have watched a serious interview done by the governor, prior to her nomination and afterward. They a tiny. Then look at the SNL, Katie Couric, or some realy stupid videos that don't resemble the governor, i.e. Nalin Palin. They are huge. These are control images of Sarah Palin. Images that feed their bias. You are not actually learning anything that has to due with reality. The realhatred and dislike of Gov. Palin originates from her historical hit it out of the park Convention Speech. I've watched politics for over forty years and I've never scene such a dynamic speech. She hammered Obama like no one else would even dare, but if you watch it again you'll see how much on the money she was. She called him out and the Left will never forgive her. This was their 'ONE'and she exposed him big time. For anyone who takes Gov. Palin seriously, like A.B. Culerhouse has come to, to try and understand the minds of those that hate her is a waste of time. They live in a world that everyone but the 'ONE' needs to be torn doown and made fun of. It has become the norm for our degenerate culture.. A.B. Culvahouse did not think to ask the governor whether she reads or not, if she can see Russia from her house, if she is stupid, dumb, or incompetent (pick one). No he treated her as someone who has managed to win three elections, the last being Governor. He knew she was appointed to the single most important position in Alaska Director Of Oil/Gas. Even with her short, but glowing resume, A.B. Culvahouse and his committee were very impressed. Anyone who takes the time to listen to her serious interviews and not the nonsense will come away thinking this is a very likable, down to earth, hard working, sincere human being. I'll admit to her speaking patterns as ill advised for the national public, but because I agree with her politically I wink at it. Unfortunately the same scrutiny was never given to Obama. So the large majority that vote for him voted for reasons other than what they knew about him or his plans for America. If they are listening, and many of them are not, in 2012 Gov. Sarah Palin and Obama might be closer than one can fathom at this time.

As I stated up front the MSM will give this story a big Yawn.

[dcjdjay]

How cynical could Culvahouse and his partners be if they didn't bother to dig deeper into Palin's background? I guess a pretty face, a spunky personality, and wing nut ideological views is all it takes for a vetting process to meet the O'Melveny standard. I wonder what some of their clients must be thinking?

[Steve]

Many of the criticisms of Sarah Palin -including the one above by Mike - are simply over the top. Sarah Palin would have made a fine Vice President, certainly better than the one now in office. Calling her a "whack job" is typical of those who refuse to address her on her merits. She is well-respected in her own state, and is doing a very good job as Governor of Alaska. Calling her names because he or she disagrees with her positions on issues has been typical, unfortunately, of many of her critics. She one gutsy woman, and those of us who do agree with her on some or many issues wish she were helping to lead our country now.

[Mike]

Well that explains a lot. The vetting was based on ideology only? I thought the mark of a good lawyer was to be thorough and to think of the unexpected.

There were not any other qualities considered? Not not being a diva, or a whack job? Believing the right stuff is ok, but competence and people skills aren't important?

You've got to be joking; your two most cynical partners interviewed her?

Cynical how? They were guys weren't they? Maybe they had a blind spot. You made a mistake in vetting and disqualified better candidates. Looks like you didn't do any independent background research.

Or maybe you did and McCain ignored it.