Daley Swipes Palin In New Interview

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley appears to be less than impressed with former Alaska Governor and one-time Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin.

In an interview with Politico’s Roger Simon published this morning, Daley was asked whether he thinks next year’s election between Obama and whoever the GOP selects to run against him will be close.

Daley’s response referenced Obama’s fairly close victory over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his running-mate, Palin, in 2008.

“Look at ’08, the president got 53 percent of the vote,” Daley said to Simon. “Against a relatively older candidate who had Sarah Palin as a running mate! And he gets [only] 53 percent of the vote! So why would this not be a close election?”

Daley’s mentioning of Palin in that context seems to imply that she is viewed by the White House as an inferior candidate who may have not belonged on the ticket.

Palin emerged in 2008 as a superstar to conservative voters impressed by her candor and energy. Through her bus tours, Fox News appearances and occasional Facebook rants against Obama, Palin has since been able to elevate herself into a recognized brand in politics.

She created a huge buzz by flirting with a 2012 presidential bid, with flocks of journalists scrambling to cover her every move. But eventually, she announced in early October that she would not run.

Despite her status as a leader in the conservative Tea Party movement, the White House has rarely, if ever, engaged her on the issues.

TRNS reached out to Palin for comment, but has yet to receive a response.