Projo Politics Blog

PROVIDENCE -- Former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee this morning stood by his comments that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a "cocky whacko" and "dangerous for the country."

Chafee, a former Republican turned independent, did not back down when reporters questioned him across from Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies, where he is a visiting fellow.

Asked if he stood by his comments about the Alaska governor, Chafee said, "Absolutely, absolutely."

Palin, the governor of Alaska, has proven a popular pick with conservative Republicans. But Chafee questioned Palin's credentials and temperament Tuesday while addressing the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., public policy institute.

Chafee, who is backing Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, said today that he hadn't gone into the lecture planning on calling Palin a "cocky whacko." It was "just an honest response to a question."

The only Republican in the Senate to vote against giving President Bush the authority to attack Iraq, Chafee was visiting the foundation to discuss his book, "Against The Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President."

During a question-and-answer period, Chafee made the remarks about Palin during a question-and-answer perod and suggested that the Alaska governor's nomination might have energized the wrong party as far as the Republicans are concerned.

After Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain announced that Palin was his pick, Chafee said he received a lot of e-mails and calls to his office at Brown University from people who said they were donating to the Obama campaign.

Chafee's videotaped comments were uploaded to YouTube and are available below.
Chafee's comments on Palin start near the 54:20 minute mark:

In an interview with the foundation's Steven Clemons, Chafee said, "I do think she's dangerous for the country."

Chafee said that Palin doesn't have the experience or temperament necessary for the job. He said her "aggressive, belligerent" approach is wrong for foreign policy.

His comments on Palin start about 5:27 minutes into this clip:

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson

 Tags  cocky whacko John McCain Lincoln Chafee Sarah Palin

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