RUSH: Jack in Boston, I’m glad you waited. Welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Yeah, Rush —
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: — you know, all these disaffected female Hillary voters, you mentioned awhile back about Sarah Palin, think about a woman candidate to run with McCain. And I don’t know if maybe her or some other, but she seems like she — you haven’t mentioned her in a while and she fit the bill, not only I think the most popular governor in the United States, 80 something percent but also with the Alaska oil drilling thing, I haven’t heard much about her lately, but wouldn’t she be a good pick for McCain?
RUSH: You know, I’ve been gone for four days. I was in Southern California on a guy golf trip. In fact, played Torrey Pines yesterday, US Open course, shot 86. That was fun. Everywhere, I cannot escape this, ‘Who do you think is going to be McCain’s VP?’ I haven’t the slightest idea. I couldn’t tell you. It seems like every day the short list changes. One day Tom Ridge is there, the next day Rob Portman from Ohio. I don’t have the slightest idea. People ask me, ‘Who’s Obama going to pick? Do you think he’ll pick Hillary?’ I have no clue.
CALLER: Rush —
RUSH: As far as Sarah Palin is concerned, we’ve discussed her on this program before. Didn’t I just read that she’s big pro-life? She just had a Down syndrome baby?
CALLER: Yeah, I’ve heard that. But in view of the energy situation up in Alaska, things like that, I mean let me put it this way, doesn’t John McCain even listen to your show, maybe take your advice, if you suggested her.
RUSH: Oh, come on, John McCain I don’t think listens. He says he doesn’t listen to the show. Says he doesn’t listen. And he’s not going to take my advice or anybody else’s. In fact, you know, I understand that the interest people have in the vice presidency, people have said, and I’d tend to agree with them on this, that McCain’s vice presidential pick will be the most important vice presidential pick on a presidential ticket in a lot of our lifetimes, for obvious reasons. I don’t think it’s that important with Obama. But a lot of people seem imbued with the fact that the only way the Democrats can unify is if Hillary is on the ticket as the vice president. I don’t see that. Folks, I’m even hearing people say that Obama may not have a choice, that the Democrats may force that on him. Now, I don’t buy that for a second, either, for this reason: Obama is moving in on the Democrat National Committee, trying to take over. It’s a secret move, but Nedra Pickler at the AP found out about it, they’re already trying to oust Howard Dean. Obama’s getting his people in there trying to take over. McCain’s already done that at the RNC.
But I want to give you a little mental picture here: Democrat convention, Thursday night. Now, Thursday night at the Democrat convention is the 40th year anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. So you’ve got Obama up there. Do you think that Barack Obama or his lovely and gracious wife, Michelle (My Belle), do you think they want to share the stage with Hillary and Bill Clinton? Can you see the four of them standing there with the balloons dropping and all that, all holding hands raised in unity? Do you think Barack Obama wants Bill Clinton lurking around anywhere in his administration, even as the wife of the vice president? Do you think Obama wants Hillary lurking around anywhere? That’s something I don’t see, but then again, the Democrats, you know, they’ve got big problems, and they may have to do something like this in order to unify it. With Bill Clinton on that stage, Obama’s not going to exist. I mean, Clinton’s going to take over on that stage.
If he’s up there as the wife of the vice presidential nominee, and the balloons dropping and they’re holding hands and all, and Benny Benack and his orchestra playing their limited repertoire of songs that Democrats can sing, and they’ve got these four up there holding hands. Bill Clinton’s going to be acting like he’s the nominee. He’s not going to be able to help it. I just can’t see them doing this. As far as the McCain side is concerned, you know, frankly there’s something else that needs to happen before this vice president stuff, because that’s going to happen in due course. I was talking to my buddy F. Lee Levin this morning, and we have decided we are sick and tired of this term: the Republicans need to rebrand themselves. This whole thing about rebranding the GOP, it’s just inside the Beltway mumbo jumbo. The Republican Party needs to reform itself, and there’s one word that can describe the reform, and it’s called conservatism. That’s all that needs to happen here. VP can do it, so be it.