Home
By Scott MacKay
Journal staff writer
PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri enthused today about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's choice as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate, but other Rhode Island Republican delegates to the Republican National Convention said today they do not know much about her record and don't know yet what to make of the Palin pick.
While Carcieri has met Palin, 45, who has been Alaska's governor for less than 2 years, other state Republicans have not.
"To be quite honest with you, until it became public about an hour ago, I had probably never heard of her,'' said Christine Callahan of Middletown, a former state representative and McCain convention delegate.
"I do think it was a good decision on his part to select a woman,'' said Callahan. "And I can't believe Senator McCain would have chosen her without putting a lot of research and study into who the selection should be.''
House Minority Leader Robert Watson, R-East Greenwich, chairman of the Rhode Island delegation to the Republican confab that begins Monday in St. Paul, Minn., said that he has never met Palin, but is "looking forward to meeting her.''
"I think it is very interesting,'' said Watson. "It is a typical John McCain maverick move. He looked outside the Beltway and insider Washington and went all the way across the country to find a woman with executive experience.''
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, said he, too, knows little of Palin's record. "This comes out of nowhere. I really don't know much about her.''
Avedisian said he is disappointed that Palin is against legal abortion and is a adherent of Creationism. "Her pro-life stance bothers me but there was no chance that a pro-choice candidate could have been picked.''
Delegate Dennis Michaud said he is "depressed'' about the Palin choice. "I'm very surprised, I was for Romney."
The Warwick mayor said he would rather have seen Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor; Tom Ridge, the onetime Pennsylvania governor and homeland security czar, or former New Jersey governor and Environmental Protection Agency director Christine Whitman.
"I have heard that she has a good record on environmental issues,'' said Avedisian. "If that is the case that would be a selling point for me.''
Rep. Steve Coaty, R-Newport, called McCain's pick of Palin "a good choice.''
"She is a female, which I think, is quite encouraging and I think her youth is going to be a great asset,'' said Coaty. Palin is 44 to McCain's 72.
GOP state party chairman Giovanni Cicione acknowledged that he is not well-acquainted with Palin, but praised McCain for a "maverick'' choice.
"I'm as surprised as anybody but I'm also impressed,'' said Cicione. "She has a great history as governor of Alaska. She's a real reformer, she is strong on environmental issues and she helped kill the famous bridge to nowhere. It's a good pick.''
