RNC Preparations as Hurricane Gustav Nears; Governor Palin's Daughter's Pregnancy

Fox News Channel Interview with Carly Fiorina,
McCain Campaign Senior Advisor

Federal News Service Transcript

September 1, 2008


Mr. Wallace: We're joined by Carly Fiorina, one of John McCain's top campaign advisers. Ms. Fiorina, what's the latest thinking -- and obviously, it depends on what happens on the ground there in New Orleans, the Gulf Coast area -- what's the latest thinking about when you might be able to resume this convention?


Ms Fiorina: Well, first, you know, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the Gulf states. And we are truly taking this day by day right now. We hope that we can resume a more normal schedule, although nothing about this is normal, perhaps as early as tomorrow. But it really will depend upon how things go in the Gulf states. And we're monitoring this literally hour by hour.


Mr. Wallace: At this point, what is the likelihood that this convention will be back in business if not tomorrow by Wednesday or Thursday so that Governor Palin and Senator McCain can address the convention?


Ms Fiorina: Well, again, that will be based upon what is going on in the Gulf states. But I think we certainly hope that our vice president nominee and our presidential nominee can both address this convention. That will be a wonderful moment for the party and for the nation, I think.


Mr. Wallace: Now, there has been talk about using this convention as a sort of telethon to raise money for relief efforts. What can you tell us about that?


Ms Fiorina: Well, that is going on. We have set up phone banks for people to reach out. We are turning some of the previously planned festivities into benefits for people to give to the victims of this storm. So I think this is an opportunity for everyone here to give back and to be part of, as John McCain said, the American family.


Mr. Wallace: Now, suspending the convention, particularly with the pictures that we're seeing here, was clearly the right thing to do. But there's also a political cost, whether it's the right thing to do or not, in the sense that you're not getting the full message out today certainly, possibly tomorrow. What are your thoughts about how this disadvantages the McCain campaign not to be able to get your message out?


Ms Fiorina: Well, certainly, we don't have four full days of opportunity to be in the public eye. On the other hand, the public's interest is appropriately on the Gulf states. I guess what I would say is my sense is the race is almost frozen. It's not as though Obama and Biden are getting attention and we're not. I think the nation's eyes now are focused on the Gulf states, and we're sort of in a state of suspended animation in some ways in terms of the campaign.


Mr. Wallace: Again, not to suggest that this is the reason he's doing it, but does it show how John McCain reacts in a national crisis and, to some degree, separates him from people's memories of President Bush and what happened in Hurricane Katrina?


Ms Fiorina: Well, I think this is vintage McCain. And what I mean by that is McCain has demonstrated that he will put his country above his political interests when he believes that's the right thing to do time and again. And he's done it again. I don't even think it entered his mind what the political cost of this was, if any. I don't think it entered his mind that he would have less of an opportunity to address the American people. I think his first and only thought was American citizens are in harms way, we need to focus our attention on them, we need to put our country first and be Americans first and partisans a distant second. And that's what he's doing.


Mr. Wallace: I have to ask you because there has been a release from the McCain campaign about the fact that the 17-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin, Bristol Palin, turns out to be pregnant. Now, the story says that Senator McCain knew about it and didn't consider it a problem.


Ms Fiorina: Well, I think that is true. He did absolutely know about it. This is a private family matter. I would hope that we could leave it as a private family matter.


Mr. Wallace: Carly Fiorina, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on what we know and mostly what we don't know about how the convention is going to be affected by Hurricane Gustav.



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