Sarah Palin: Obama's Inner Circle of 'Chicago Thugs' Isn't Doing America Much Good

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 9, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Yesterday's primary elections gave an indication of the political pulse, and it was Republican woman who came out on top. In fact, they stole the show in some of the nation's biggest races.

In California, Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman clinched their spots on the ballot as the GOP candidates for senator and governor respectively. Now further east in Nevada we have Sharron Angle. She won the chance to challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in November.

And in South Carolina, although Nikki Haley was forced into a runoff because she did not win 50 percent of the vote, well, she did beat her closest challenger by 27 points.

All of which begs the question, is this the Palin effect? Well, perhaps it's no coincidence that in some of the first major elections since former Governor Palin became a household name many Republican women are now following in her footsteps.

Democrats, they may want to watch out.

Now meanwhile, speculation about Palin's political future is running rampant. Her endorsement of Iowa gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad led many to believe that she is paving the way for a presidential bid in 2012.

Is it true? Here with answers is former Alaska governor, Fox News contributor Sarah Palin.

Welcome back to "Hannity."

SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Hey, thanks so much, Sean. How are you?

HANNITY: By the way, I'm glad — now I was expecting that we might have your new neighbor in the background who's only 15 feet away. How is that situation working out?

PALIN: Well, I guess to tell you the story on that one real quickly, we're in an RV traveling right now, and it's nice and peaceful and we've got our freedom and our privacy in an RV instead of in our front and backyard.

HANNITY: Well, I don't blame — and by the way I feel sorry about that situation.

Governor, I — all these women yesterday, many of whom you endorsed, were very successful. How do you interpret the results of yesterday?

PALIN: Yes, I heard you list some of them, including there, too, Susana Martinez in New Mexico, some of the gubernatorial candidates.

You know, these are just good patriots who are willing to put it all on the line and get our country and our states back on the right track economically and militarily. They just use common sense and they know the Constitution, they want to protect the Constitution. We're lucky to have them as candidates.

It certainly doesn't have anything to do with my endorsement, to tell you the truth. Because, truly, like John Wooden said, it doesn't matter who is right, it matters what is right. And what is right is the message that they have to get our country back on the right track.

And Americans are craving that. We're sick of the big government, Obama-touch on this country and we're going to do something about it.

HANNITY: Yes. Well, there are three cases in particular where both you and the Tea Party Movement supported, for example, Rand Paul in Kentucky, Sharron Angle out in Nevada and this case of Nikki Haley who's going to be joining us later in the program tonight.

So those are three instances where the Tea Party and Sarah Palin supported the winning candidate that the establishment did not support.

So are we to read anything into that?

PALIN: Yes, yes. Even the Republican machine needs to understand that hey, we're not going to put up with those in the machine that have strayed from the planks and the platforms that are supposed to be building this country into an even more exceptional country than America already is.

So the machines on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans who have believed that government is the answer, we're sending a message to them. That's what the Tea Party is all about, just getting government back on the side of the people and really independents.

And I consider Rand Paul and his father Ron Paul as quite independent candidates and officials and we appreciate that they are part of that Republican ticket and it makes it easier to vote for them that way.

HANNITY: You know, I think there's a lot of issues here. Look, there's a lot going on in the world now. I think the president is coming off, I think, one of the worst periods in his presidency. And I think the polls are beginning to indicate that.

Obviously the Sestak and Romanoff case have had an impact. The economy, no jobs are really being created except in government. Obviously, the response or lack thereof to the oil spill is having an impact.

What do you — and the president seems to be getting angry when he's talking about kicking — I won't use his term. What do you make of where the president is right now politically?

PALIN: Throw in there, too, decreased consumer confidence, too. And then we even haven't talked about national security issues either. But I think what the president is realizing is that his lack of executive experience is coming into play right now.

I know that he mocked and chided others who did have experience in the campaign and he acted like being a community organizer was all that it was going to take. What the president needs to do is really humble himself and I say it with all due respect because I so respect the office of the presidency. But to humble yourself and call those around you who — on a nonpartisan basis, please call those around you who can give you the best advice and provide some answers to get us out of some of the problems that we're facing right now, not just with the oil spill.

And, you know, I've offered the greatest oil and gas team in the world assembled, I believe, because they're up there in Alaska helping to produce nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy. But not just with the oil spill, but with the economy and with our military and how it is that we should be treating our allies, not poking them in the eye.

All those things. He needs to call in those around him and kind of broaden his inner circle of confidants because right now it sounds like the inner circle that he has are some Chicago thugs. And that's not doing our country much good.

So calling in more people to advice him, and humbly accepting that advice and making the right decision from henceforth.

HANNITY: Yes, I agree with —

PALIN: He can do it.

HANNITY: I agree with everything you're saying, Governor. Here we are 51 days into this crisis and it seems that every effort that we could have used to at least contain the oil, give Bobby Jindal the equipment that he was asking for. Start an oil berm, start collecting, give them the booms, build barriers. They've resisted this. And it's 51 days in.

PALIN: Yes.

HANNITY: The fact that we were so far out shore out of — you know, offshore, and not closer to, say, Alaska where it would be a lot easier to contain a spill like this. Is he — is this evidence of his rigid ideology, do you think?

PALIN: Absolutely. It's an — it's also though that manifestation of his lack of experience in dealing with some tough decisions that are put in front of you. But really the decisions that he has to make on the oil spill aren't that tough.

Here we find out yesterday that he has not even spoken on a CEO to CEO level with Tony Hayward. The guy who's out there speaking for BP promising Americans that they're doing all that they can to clean up.

Well, our president isn't even verifying what it is that the CEO is telling us? That's an indication of some lack right there. But —

HANNITY: Yes.

PALIN: No, federal government needs to allow the states like Bobby Jindal leading the state there in Louisiana in trying to build the berms and doing all that they can, taking more local control of the situation.

They need some allowance there and President Obama really needs to get in there. I've been mocked for saying he needs to dive in there and start finding the solutions to this problem because it is a tragedy and we have not seen the full extent of this tragedy yet.

We've lived and worked through the Exxon Valdez oil spill for 20 years. We know what the adverse impacts are of a spill like this. This spill in the Gulf is even worse. So we need assurance from BP and we need it from our president verifying what the CEO of BP that they are doing everything they can to stop this and remedy the situation.

HANNITY: Governor, I got to tell you, the fact that — when I found out yesterday he didn't even speak to the president — the CEO of BP it was shocking. But also the president is not only not acting he's tried to politicize it. He's tried to advance cap-and-tax, a moratorium on drilling, for example. And even raise taxes on the oil industry.

Governor, we started the segment raising the question in light of yesterday's election results and I've purposely not asked you this question in a long time. Are you thinking about — so many are speculating, are you considering it, are you leaving the door open for a possible run in 2012?

PALIN: Always will leave the door open for whatever it is that maybe out there if there is any way at all possible that I can help my country.

But let's get back to that oil spill, Sean, because what Obama is doing, I think, is just instinctively believing that punishing the public via increasing taxes and more burdens on the public through cap-and-tax is going to be an answer to stopping the gusher in the Gulf?

It makes no sense, I think. Instinctively he's so wrong on this.

HANNITY: All right, Governor, couldn't agree more. Maybe I'll get that answer, you can make the announcement right here one night but I'm just teasing. Anyway, enjoy your trip.

PALIN: Bless your heart.

HANNITY: I'm glad that you didn't bring over the blueberry pie because I don't think the so-called journalist, so-called stalker guy in my opinion deserved it. So I'm glad you're here. Thanks for being with us, Governor.

PALIN: Hey, thanks. And after reading some of the comments that his son made about Todd, I decided nah, he's not going to get a blueberry pie from us.

HANNITY: All right. I'll take it, although I don't really need it. But I'll take it if — next time you're in town.

Governor, thanks for being with us.

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