John McCain: "I think she's keeping her options open, and I think she should."

Sen. John McCain sat down today with Candy Crowley, on CNN's State of the Union. To nobody's surprise, he was asked whether he thought Sarah Palin would run for President. He was surprisingly gracious in his comments toward Palin given his propensity to pander to the left-wing media.

"I think she's keeping her options open, and I think she should. I think she's an incredible force in the American political arena...I think that anybody that has the visibility that Sarah has is obviously going to have some divisiveness. I remember that a guy named Ronald Reagan used to be viewed by some as divisive. I think she's doing a great job...I think she has motivated our base...I think she had a positive impact on the last election, and I'm proud of her."

Also of note, McCain stated that he would read Palin's book before reading George W. Bush's. The above video does not include that exchange. The entire video is at CNN.com

I have a feeling that McCain is less than enamored with the Bush wing of the GOP establishment at this time. McCain and George W. Bush have never been particularly close, and Bush is reportedly less than kind to McCain in his book. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he thumbs his nose at the Bush's by endorsing Palin's candidacy for president. McCain may end up being Palin's bridge to the moderate vote.