Sarah Palin slams GOP race for bickering pettiness

Former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu weighs in

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," March 2, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST OF "YOUR WORLD": All right, Sarah now smacking down over attacks not letting up.

In an interview with Greta Van Susteren airing tonight, Palin the latest party leader to rip the tone of this GOP race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Alaskans whom I speak with, we're so tired of the pettiness within that GOP process, as the folks are bickering back and forth about different tactics taken within their campaigns and in this nominating process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: But is ripping the process, whether justified or not, actually hurting the process right now?

To former Republican Governor of New Hampshire and a big Romney supporter John Sununu. Governor, good to have you.

JOHN SUNUNU (R), FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR: How are you today, Neil?

Our prayers go out to those folks in the Midwest and the South. It’s a tough day for them, and we hope they come through it well.

CAVUTO: Absolutely, I share that, Governor.

Do you share Governor Palin's view on this "rip them up, drag them out" process of the candidates, that it's hurting the party?

SUNUNU: You certainly wish it didn't happen like that, but the fact is, is politics has become a real contact sport.

And I think one of the things you have to do is recognize that, as you go through and make comparisons, things gets stretched every once in a while, and sometimes candidates go a little further than they should. But I do think we are about 60 days into this. I think, as this thing begins to clear up, the rhetoric will calm down and they'll start getting ready to go after what is really a horrible economy under the lack of leadership of the Obama administration.

CAVUTO: Governor, you know this better than I do, but George Bush Sr. and his son, had they effectively wrapped up their respective nominations by now or at the very latest April?

SUNUNU: I don't think so. And I don't think even on the Democratic side, it was wrapped up last year -- when they had a contested one.

The primary started in January. As I say, we are about 59 or 60 days from the start. And what has happened this year, Neil, is the rules are different.

CAVUTO: Right.

SUNUNU: There's much more proportionality. So people should stop panicking and understand that here is a process. And we may not love it, but we got to go through it.

Mitt Romney has done well and he's picking up his delegates. He said right from the start it is a long slog and he will pick up on a weekly basis, starting Super Tuesday and on, a chunk of delegates here and a chunk of there, until they get to the 1,143.

CAVUTO: To play on a twist of the Reagan years, Governor, this president and his team apparently are working on the idea, while it might not be morning in America; it is looking light in America. In other words, things are better than they were, the trend is their friend, things are going their way.

SUNUNU: Yes.

CAVUTO: And that puts Republicans in a bit of a pickle, doesn't it?

SUNUNU: Yes, gullibility goes all the way to the Oval Office.

All you have to do...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: So I take it you don’t agree with it?

(CROSSTALK)

SUNUNU: Drive up to your pump and take a look at the little sign above the pump, and then tell the president that you are happy with $4.30 gasoline, that you're happy with -- how can you have an administration that thinks 8.3 percent is good?

This country has got real problems, and it needs a real leader, like Mitt Romney, who has led a state, who has led things in the private sector, to go in and fix it. We're looking at a primary process here, and the two leading contenders now are Mitt Romney, former governor, and Rick Santorum, former senator.

Why in God's name would you send another former senator with as little experience as Barack Obama into the breach? You need someone who’s had CEO experience, who’s led a state.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But, as senator, it is not as if he was there as short a while as Barack Obama. He’s got some -- some -- some dirt under his shoes. Right?

SUNUNU: Well, what's the difference between six or 10 or 12 years of inexperience, as compared three years of inexperience? It's all inexperience. What has he ever led?

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: OK. So you are saying executive experience is what matters.

SUNUNU: Look, you've got -- you were talking to Governor Huckabee today about what's happening with the hurricane -- with the tornadoes.

You learn as a governor that you have got, in tough situations like this, to lead. You've got to mobilize things. You've got to give confidence to the people that you are doing things. You've got to talk about the problem. But you have to do it in such a way that you don’t create panic. That's a leadership component that you learn. You do not learn that in the Senate.

CAVUTO: So this kind of talk, what you’re saying, whether justified or not, Governor, it is kind of what Sarah Palin was saying, that it can be more harmful than helpful.

Do you agree with that?

SUNUNU: Not in the long run.

CAVUTO: OK.

SUNUNU: In the short run, it's painful.

But we have eight months until the election. And as soon as we clear this nomination process up, in about four, five, or six weeks, you will have seven months left. And in that seven months, the Republican nominee, which I am convinced will be Mitt Romney, will be defining the difference between how you fix the problems that this country has and how you, unfortunately, have a president who’s done nothing to lead this country out of problems.

And I think what you will have is a real debate on two different styles of governing and two different philosophies of economics.

CAVUTO: All right, Governor, we will watch closely. Thank you very much.

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