McCain rebuffs questions on Palin vetting process

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain says he's content with his life in the Senate and happy he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate last year.

McCain steadfastly refused to discuss a new book that says the vetting of the Alaska governor was "hasty and haphazard." Asked about this on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday, the Arizona Republican said, "I wouldn't know. The fact is, I'm proud of Sarah Palin and I'm proud of the campaign she waged. She energized our party."

Asked how it was possible that he could not know about the clearance process, McCain replied, "I wouldn't know what the sources were, nor care." The assessment is in a new book, "Game Change," written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. He predicted Palin will be a "major player" in GOP affairs.