McCain Aide Palin Called Candidacy Gods Plan

Steve Schmidt, the chief strategist for the 2008 McCain presidential campaign, said in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday that Sarah Palin reacted to her selection as the Republican vice-presidential nominee by calling the candidacy "God's plan."

According to The Huffington Post, Schmidt told interviewer Anderson Cooper that Palin was a last-minute selection after it became clear that McCain's first choice, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, was too liberal for the Republican base.

The interview was based on the new book Game Change by John Heilemann of New York magazine and Mark Halperin of Time magazine, about the 2008 presidential campaign.

According to The Huffington Post, "Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming 'one of the most famous people in the world.' He quoted her as saying, 'It's God's plan.'"

Schmidt, who was instrumental in selecting Palin for the ticket, acknowledged that the Alaska governor helped lessen the margin of defeat for the McCain campaign.

Watch the 60 Minutes segment below.