'Meet the Press' transcript for Oct. 26, 2008

SEN. McCAIN:  Well, I--the--first of all, I thought she did fine in, in the--actually, so did most people--in the debate with, with Senator Biden. She has more executive experience than Senator Biden and, and Senator Obama together.  She took on the governor of her own party because she had seen what she's thought was corruption.  She's been a mayor.  She has 24,000 people underneath her.  Her husband is a--works the third shift on a oil--in--facilities on the North Slope.  He's a--they, they have a--she has executive experience and has given back money to the taxpayers.  She has taken Democrats as well as Republicans into her administration.  It sounds like I'm, I'm "defending" her, but the fact is she is a dynamic person with executive experience, leadership, reform.  She's exactly what Washington needs.  I'm so proud of the way she ignites the crowds.  The way that she is--she has conducted herself is, in my view, incredibly admirable.  I am--do we--do, do Sarah Palin and I disagree on a specific issue?  Yeah, because we're both mavericks.  But we share the same goal of cleaning up Washington.  You think some--we will clean up and reform Washington together, and she has the credentials and the vision and the dynamism and the strength to do that.  I could not be more proud of her.

MR. BROKAW:  You know in politics that symbols are very powerful.

SEN. McCAIN:  Sure.

MR. BROKAW:  Those pictures of you when you were a prisoner of war in Hanoi have been a very powerful reminder of what you went through.  And then in the last 10 days or so, we've learned that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on her wardrobe at Neiman Marcus and at Saks when she was portraying herself as a hockey mom representing the values of Main Street.  Wasn't that a colossal mistake on the part of the RNC?

SEN. McCAIN:  Look, she lives a frugal life.  She and her family are not wealthy.  She and her family were thrust into this, and there was some--and some third of that money is given back, the rest will be donated to charity. Look, Americans right now care about whether they're going to stay in their homes, whether they're going to have a job, whether they're going to be able to keep their health insurance, if we're going to come out of this ditch that we're in.  They want change.  They want reform.  She is a role model to millions and millions and millions of Americans.

MR. BROKAW:  I know you were disappointed when Colin Powell last week came on MEET THE PRESS...

SEN. McCAIN:  Mm-hmm.

MR. BROKAW:  ...and praised you as a friend, a longtime admirer of yours, but said he was going to vote for Barack Obama.  And he listed a number of reasons why he was going to do that.  There was a pretty sharp reaction across the country, both pro and con, on the part of people who'd been following politics carefully.  Here's what Rush Limbaugh had to say on his radio program about the reason that Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama.

(Videotape)

MR. RUSH LIMBAUGH:  It was totally about race.  The Powell nomination, or endorsement, total, totally about race.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  Do you agree with Rush Limbaugh?

SEN. McCAIN:  No.  I'm disappointed in General Powell, but I'm very, very happy to know that five former secretaries of state who I admire enormously--Henry Kissinger, Jim Baker, Larry Eagleburger, Al Hague--Jim Baker, Henry Kissinger, Al Hague, Larry Eagleburger and one other, and over 200 retired flag general--generals and admirals are supporting my campaign. I'm very proud of their support.

MR. BROKAW:  Senator, we opened today with a--how you're doing in Iowa.  The Des Moines Register has endorsed...

SEN. McCAIN:  George Shultz.  George Shultz is the other one.

MR. BROKAW:  George Shultz, right.

SEN. McCAIN:  George, I'm sorry I left you out to start with.  George Shultz, the great--one of the great secretaries of state in history.  Anyway, go ahead.  I'm sorry.

MR. BROKAW:  We opened today with, with the poll here in Iowa in which you're trailing by 11 points, according to our NBC/Mason Dixon poll.  The Des Moines Register has endorsed Barack Obama as well.

SEN. McCAIN:  I'm astonished!

MR. BROKAW:  It's the state's largest newspaper.

SEN. McCAIN:  Shocked!  Shocked!

MR. BROKAW:  Now stay with me.  Stay with me for a minute here.  Here's the Arizona Republic, your largest newspaper in the state of Arizona today.  "We have seen the irascible McCain.  the bawdy and irreverent McCain.  And, yes the temperamental McCain.  Likewise, we here in Arizona have seen the former Navy pilot and war hero evolve--slowly and with lots of fits and starts--into a statesmen." That's the Arizona Republic today endorsing you for president. I'm confident...

SEN. McCAIN:  God bless the Arizona Republic.

MR. BROKAW:  I am confident that you are aware of this, but our viewers probably are not.  This is, I would think for you, a very poignant Sunday because it was 41 years ago today that you were shot down on a bombing mission over Hanoi.  This is the Associated Press account of that.  "October 26th, 1967.  Navy fighter pilot John McCain being captured by Vietnamese civilians in Truc Bach Lake near Hanoi, Vietnam." Actually, it's in Hanoi.  "McCain was tortured and imprisoned for more than five years, and eventually awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal, and Prisoner of War medal."

A week later, your mother wrote this letter to President Lyndon Johnson.  "My dear Mr. President, As the parent of a son who was shot down in Hanoi last week, and is now a prisoner of war, I wonder if you are interested to know that both my husband and I back you and your policies 100 percent in Vietnam? One reads so much of the opinions--of other opinions that I just hope that you and the people really making the sacrifice believe in our country and in you. May Gold bless you and keep you strong in your courage and convictions." That's your mother, Roberta McCain, who is still going strong.

SEN. McCAIN:  Ninety-six, still going strong.

MR. BROKAW:  For all the obvious reasons, that experience was a defining moment in your life, and you said it changed your attitude toward you are your country's from then on, not your own man.  How has this campaign changed you?

SEN. McCAIN:  It hasn't changed me.  It's made me humble and grateful and aware of the trust and faith and confidence that so many people have in me that it motives me to continue to want to serve my country.  But I think it also validates service to country and putting your country first.  We're going to do well in this campaign, my friend.  We're going to win it, and it's going to be tight, and we're going to be up late; but it will be because there's so many Americans who believe that I can give them the future for themselves and their children and their grandchildren that we all aspire to.  And I'm deeply honored.

MR. BROKAW:  Four years ago I interviewed President Bush at a time when it looked like he may be in trouble against John Kerry, final weekend of the campaign.  I showed him a map.  He said, "Oh, I just don't do that.  Karl Rove does that." As soon as the interview was over, he said, "I'll win here," and pointed to southeastern Ohio.  Where will you win if you win?

SEN. McCAIN:  I, I think there are obviously the battleground states that you and the panel are going to be going over right after the segment of the program, and we are very competitive in those areas.  And we're going to have to just get out our vote, work hard over the next nine days, and, and make sure that people know that there will be a better future.  People are very worried now.  Very, very worried, and have every reason to be.  I think it's all about who can assure a better future.

MR. BROKAW:  Senator McCain, I hope this has been a better Sunday than it was 41 years ago.

SEN. McCAIN:  Thank you.  And it's good to be with you.  And I appreciate your many years of informing the American people.  You've come a long way from South Dakota, but you'd never forgot where you came from.

MR. BROKAW:  That's true.

SEN. McCAIN:  Thank you.

MR. BROKAW:  Thanks for being here.  Thank you.

Coming up next, a look at the presidential battleground and the battle for control of Congress.  Our political roundtable:  Charlie Cook, Kelly O'Donnell and Chuck Todd all next, only on MEET THE PRESS, live today from Waterloo, Iowa.

(Announcements)

MR. BROKAW:  Our political roundtable on the final nine days of this campaign right after this brief station break.

(Announcements)

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