Perkins says Palin pick purely political

Tony Perkins, an influential conservative leader, said Wednesday that he viewed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) selection as a “political” pick designed to win over the conservative base and appease social conservatives who had concerns about John McCain.

Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council (FRC), said that most conservatives he knew expressed “relief” that Republican presidential candidate McCain did not pick an abortion-rights supporter like Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) or former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as his running mate.

{mosads}Palin, on the other hand, was a “brilliant pick from a political standpoint” that helped McCain win over social conservatives.

Perkins, speaking to reporters at a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor, said he believed McCain was more likely to pick someone he has known for a while and trusts, like Lieberman or Ridge. But Palin was an out-of-the-box pick and prompted questions about how long McCain had known the Alaska governor before offering her the No. 2 spot.

When asked directly then if Perkins viewed Palin as a purely political pick, the religious right leader said, “Yeah, I think so.

“I think it was a very strategic and, in the end, political pick,” Perkins said.

“Adding a maverick governor like Sarah Palin who always puts the people’s interests before party and has never been afraid of shaking up the status quo to make reforms and change isn’t political — it’s good for the country,” campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella said.

Perkins said he had conversations with the McCain campaign in the days leading up to the vice presidential announcement, in which he communicated his concerns that the Arizona senator might pick Lieberman or Ridge, and noted he was “very pleased” with Palin.

Perkins also said that among conservatives he was with around the time of the announcement, “the initial response was relief.”

Perkins addressed the group of reporters the day before the FRC’s Values Voters Summit, where McCain was largely ignored last year. In fact, McCain came in last place among Republicans in the event’s straw poll, falling behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was greeted with distrust by the social conservatives present. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the poll.

But Perkins on Wednesday noted the difference a year makes.

{mospagebreak}Perkins, when asked if McCain had done enough to show “values voters” he is more sympathetic to their concerns and that he can be trusted, responded: “Well, he has presented Sarah.

“She complements what many conservatives see as weaknesses in John McCain,” he said.

Almost all of the hourlong breakfast revolved around Palin, as Perkins noted there continues to be widespread distrust of McCain. Perkins said the choice of Palin had gone a long way toward easing the concerns a lot of conservatives have about McCain given their high-profile disputes in the past.

{mosads}Perkins said that if McCain had picked Lieberman or Ridge, “it would’ve further fractured the Republican base.”

The evangelical leader said that he now sees a path to victory for McCain that he didn’t see before.

The reasons for that, Perkins said, are McCain’s performance at the forum at Saddleback Church last month and the Republican Party’s passage of a platform that Perkins called “the most conservative platform the Republican Party’s ever had.”

Perkins said he envisions Palin contributing heavily on domestic issues if she and McCain are in the White House, adding that if they are elected, he hopes McCain will seek her input on issues like judicial appointments and she is “not just brought out for tea parties.”

Perkins said he was “surprised” by the revelation that Palin’s unwed 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, echoing a statement he put out at the time that teen pregnancy continues to be a problem, but hailed the family’s decision to raise the baby.

“We were not applauding, I don’t think anybody was applauding the fact that her daughter became pregnant out of wedlock,” Perkins said. He added that most conservatives he talked to were still enjoying “a sense of relief that he didn’t make a fatal decision politically” when picking a vice presidential candidate.

“This is a problem we face even in our youth groups in our church,” Perkins said.

The issue arose at last year’s Values Voters Summit as the Republican hopefuls sought to solidify their bona fides in front of a group that was considered crucial to President Bush’s two victories.

Romney, viewed skeptically by the group because of his Mormon faith, took on the issue of teen pregnancy directly.

“One of the biggest threats to the fabric of our society is out-of-wedlock childbirth,” Romney said. “Ann and I will use the bully pulpit to teach America’s children that before they have babies, they should get married. It’s time to make out-of-wedlock births out-of-fashion again.”

Bristol Palin is getting married, according to a statement from the Palin family.

Romney is scheduled to speak again this year. Perkins said McCain, Palin and their Democratic rivals — Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Joe Biden (Del.) — have all been invited to speak, but none of them had accepted the offer as of Wednesday.