Carville: Snowe could have been picked as VP

MINNEAPOLIS -- On CNN last night, Democratic strategist James Carville appeared on Larry King Live, and noted that he thought Sen. Olympia Snowe would have been a better choice for John McCain’s vice president.

He said the following, after another panelist remarked that she had sold the previous Alaska governor’s airplane on eBay and put the money back toward the state.

“If they’re going to nominate a woman, they ought to have Sen. Olympia Snowe,” Carville said. “She’s highly respected, reform oriented, unbelievable integrity, expert in foreign policy, would have been supremely qualified. Yet we ought to be led to believe that in the entire Republican Party we have someone who has not even served two years, is governor of Alaska – which is a state, by the way, that is swimming in money – and she is qualified to be President because she sold the state airplane.”

Later, CNN correspondent Ed Henry interviewed Snowe on the floor. The quotes are according to a CNN transcript.

Henry asked Snowe about former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman speaking on behalf of John McCain.

“I think it certainly is great for John McCain, because to have a colleague across the political aisle, a former Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2000 election, come here tonight at a Republican convention and speak so passionately,” Snowe said.

Henry asked about McCain picking Palin after saying Democratic nominee Barack Obama was inexperienced.

“First of all, there are different levels and different types of experience, frankly. And I think that John McCain has to make a decision about the person he wants to run with and to serve with and who's compatible. As a reformer, she certainly is consistent in what she has done as governor, as a mayor, and all of her positions that's going to be important to him and to this country,” Snowe said.