By Kristina Wong

Nov 15, 2009 9:10pm

McCain to Aides on Palin Book: This Will Pass

ABC News' Kate Snow reports:

So what does John McCain really think of Palin's book?

Sources tell ABC that there was a conference call on Friday between McCain and many of his top former aides.

On the call, McCain essentially told them that he would prefer that they stay out of the Palin book coverage and not engage in a public debate with Palin.  But he told also them he understood if they needed to refute factual errors or protect their own reputations. 

Says one aide in the know: “He apologized to everyone on the call for people having to go through this.  Said something like ‘You are all my dear friends. This will pass. It’ll pass faster if everyone will just stay out of it.’”

He talked about being proud of the campaign they ran and said he’s moved on, they’ve moved on and he was sorry that the aides were having to go through this.

McCain himself received a signed copy of Palin’s book on Friday.  Aides say the Senator hasn’t actually spoken with Palin in months.

User Comments

McCain says he’s “sorry” his aides had to go through this?? Would these be the same aides who have been trashing Palin every chance they get, often anonymously? Palin at least has the guts to put her name on what she says. McCain was tougher on Bush than he was on Obama, the guy standing in his way. It was embarrassing and lame.
These cowards billed themselves as experts but couldn’t even run a student body president campaign, much less one for POTUS. Wallace especially galls me. The fact that she was brought in to manage press for Palin is a joke. She was part of the Bush press team that was more adept at defense and avoidance, rather than engaging and pushing back on negative or unfair reporting. She didn’t do her job.
We’re finally getting the other side of the story, and it may be inconvenient for McCain, Schmidt, Wallace, and Davis, but too bad. These people helped pick Palin, now they savage her? That woudl say more about their deliberations or lack thereof, than it does Palin. All I know is I at least felt I could vote FOR someone as opposed to just against Obama, when she joined the ticket. And I have a feeling she ensured McCain could afford to keep the lights on and gas in his Straight Talk Express with all the fundraising she drew.
Was Palin perfect? No. No campaign or candidates are. But she does not deserve the visceral, seemingly personal hatred and scorched earth campaign against her that started with her joining the campaign, and has continued even after losing the election. She is much more diplomatic and professional in describing what went on and what people did/said than I would be if I had people trying to corral and control me. Good for her. I reserved my book this weekend and eagerly await reading it.

Posted by: Seth | November 15, 2009, 9:56 pm 9:56 pm

When will Sen. McCain apologize to the rest of us for “having to go through this”?

Posted by: B.Bear | November 15, 2009, 10:09 pm 10:09 pm

How much more can the media milk palin for.
Obama won the white house with help from Palin and dems have 60 senate seats. Pelosi has 80 more reps than gop.
Obama will be able to pick 6 liberal supreme court justices. Every level of our federal courts will be stacked with liberal justices with obama liberal justices with dems having so many senators.
But the media still isn’t contest to focus on real issues.
The media is obsessed with hurting the gop so even though palin quit as governor they keep trotting her out there to hurt the gop.
Palin will never run for president because she knows she would get crushed in a gop primary. Palin quit the governor’s race because she had polling that she would lose.
There are so many important issues to talk about. But instead of talking about the issues of the day the media keeps trotting out palin because of the media’s obsession of hurting republicans.
The new governors of virginia and new jersey didn’t even want palin in their state campaigning for them when they had everyone else campaign for them.
Palin is an outcasat withini the gop. The only people that keep talking about Palin is the selfish media who wants to keep dragging republicans down to have one party rule forever in washington.
Get over it already. Almost no candidates will want palin campaigning with them and she is not running for president because she knows she would get crushed.
McCain made a mistake. Kerry picked edwards who was a mistake. Bush picked qualye. Get over it already. Mccain made a mistake. We get it how much more do you need to keep harping on it. This has gone on long enough already. MOVE ON ALREADY.

Posted by: jason | November 15, 2009, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm

Uh, Jason – REPUBLICANS dragged (and are still dragging) REPUBLICANS down. Palin didn’t/isn’t doing it alone, no, but she sure isn’t helping them rise from the ashes. It’s obvious that they, like most other Americans, just wish she’d shut up and go away. But if you’re saying she’s a huge thorn in their side – and will remain so – you’re probably right. And they deserve each other.

Posted by: Justess | November 16, 2009, 12:55 am 12:55 am

McCain….Pleeese apologize for introduction of this “idiot”….Your own wife thinks she’s “trash”….trailer that is. SHE WAS SOOOOO NARCISSITIC THAT SHE THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE WOULD CALL HER AS A ‘VICE’ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE…THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE DID NOT CALL McCAIN…WHY WOULD SHE THINK THAT HE WOULD CALL HER…..OH BECAUSE SHE IS A BEAUTY QUEEN I GUESS…..HEHEHE

Posted by: sara | November 16, 2009, 10:56 am 10:56 am

Look, many of us (both Dems and Repubs) would love for Palin to just dissapear. But the very vocal minority loves Palin. People read articles that contain her name in the title, they buy her book, they watch programs with her on them. Levi Johnston, a complete moron, has become a celebrity just because he dated Palin’s daughter (and they had a child together).
This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with MONEY! So stop taking Palin so seriously. Sit back and enjoy the ride – Palin sure is. This Wasilla Hillbilly is laughing all the way to the bank. Don’t worry, as McCain said, this too shall pass.

Posted by: Obama Lawyer | November 16, 2009, 11:26 am 11:26 am

Can you imagine aides to Senator John F. Kennedy engaging in these kinds of group hugs in 1961 if they’d lost to Nixon and LBJ was saying mean things about some of them?
What is this fantasy that McCain and Palin were supposed to be best friends forever after sharing the ticket? All presidential tickets are shotgun marriages at best. To think otherwise is to fall for the lamest, Lifetime-channel propaganda. Biden said some damaging things about Obama both before and after he was selected, and he’s been an embarrassment frequently since they took office. Obama deserves some credit for not allowing his aides to publicly cry over it like Schmidt & co. are doing.
Man up, McCainiacs!

Posted by: Vail Beach | November 16, 2009, 11:49 am 11:49 am

Seth,
Hopefully you waiting for the book to go on sale as it is only $9.00 now on-line.
Sounds like you have some hostility issues pent up inside you dude…take a chill pill, get the book and enjoy a nice quiet evening looking at the pictures!
How anyone would spend $1.00 on that bogus book, I will never know.

Posted by: Mayberry | November 16, 2009, 2:13 pm 2:13 pm

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