Description: Sen. John McCain responds to comments made by his former campaign advisor Steve Schmidt that McCain’s former running mate, Sarah Palin, running for President in 2012, would bring forth a “catastrophic election result.” “With a high-pressure situation, there’s always tensions that develop within campaigns. And there were clearly tensions between Steve Schmidt and people in the Palin camp. There’s — there are fundamental facts, though, that cannot be denied. When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party. And I have great affection for her,” he told John King on “State of the Union”. “Will Sarah and I — did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let’s let a thousand flowers bloom. Let’s come up with a winning combination the next time.”