“Politically, she was a net positive to the campaign,” Schmidt observed. “John McCain lost that race because the global economy imploded in the middle of September, and we were outspent by $250 million. I think a net negative in the sense that someone was nominated to the vice presidency who was manifestly unprepared to take the oath of office should it become necessary. And as it has become necessary many times in America.”

“Was it reckless of you?” Geist followed up.

“Well, I was part of a team that settled on the result, you know. I didn’t wake up one day and say ‘let’s pick her,’” Schmidt explained. “But there’s a scene in the movie where I’m saying to Senator McCain — it’s almost verbatim– the conversation that happened, saying I would rather lose by ten points than lose by one point saying, ‘did we do everything we can to win?’ And for me, the experience on this campaign is that there are worse things than losing.”