The Buchanan-Palin Connection
Was Sarah Palin, Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate, a Buchananite?
There’s been a lot of speculation that the former mayor of Wasilla supported Patrick Buchanan after The Nation dug up an old Associated Press story that reported she welcomed the controversial conservative to a reception in Wasilla and wore a Buchanan button.
The McCain campaign denies Palin ever backed Buchanan.
We caught up with Buchanan this morning at Key’s Cafe (“Minnesota’s most awarded family restaurant”), where MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” programming is broadcasting during the Republican National Convention week to get his take on the whole episode.
“This is odd because I wasn’t even on the ballot in 2000,” Buchanan told the Forward. “I dropped out and went for the reform party. I dropped out in 1999 and the caucuses were in 2000, so I wasn’t even on the ballot in 2000.”
This may not clarify things since the AP story was from 1999, when Buchanan acknowledges he was still running as a Republican.
As for Palin, he says, “I think she’s a terrific pick. I think she’s terrific.”
