Washington, Oct. 13 (ANI): Republican Senator John McCain has acknowledged that tensions existed between his vice presidential choice, Sarah Palin, and his top aide, Steve Schmidt, during his failed bid for the White House last year, yet said that the former Alaska governor gave a boost to the campaign.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Arizona Republican said: “When we selected, or asked, Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party. And I have great affection for her. Will Sarah and I - did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let’s let a thousand flowers bloom. Let’s come up with a winning combination next time.”

Palin has a book due out in November,and Politico quoted McCain as saying that he is looking forward to passages about her joining the campaign. (ANI)