George W. Bush is not a fan of Sarah Palin and thinks that she spoiled the GOP's best laid plans in 2008 and could potentially do it again, a friend of the former president recently said.
The New York Daily News reported Friday:
"Naming Palin makes Bush think less of McCain as a man," a Republican official familiar with Bush's thinking told the Daily News.
"He thinks McCain ran a lousy campaign with an unqualified running mate and destroyed any chance of winning by picking Palin."
Bush has addressed Palin as a relative non-factor before, characterizing her as a grossly unpolished candidate not ready for the political spotlight.
From a book released last year, former Bush staffer Matt Latimer wrote:
"'I'm trying to remember if I've met her before. I'm sure I must have.' [Bush's] eyes twinkled, then he asked, 'What is she, the governor of Guam?'"
"This woman is being put into a position she is not even remotely prepared for. She hasn't spent one day on the national level. Neither has her family. Let's wait and see how she looks five days out."
While the "Republican official" reports that Bush supposedly has certain strong feelings about Palin and her presidential qualifications, the former head of state told Oprah Winfrey Thursday that he wasn't going to do any 2012 forecasting.
"A lot is gonna happen between now and the nominating process, I have no clue," Bush said in response to a question about Palin being "the one" for Republicans.
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