I'm proud of maverick Palin, insists McCain

JOHN McCAIN tried to soothe tensions over Sarah Palin today by declaring: "I'm so proud of her."

With serious in-fighting breaking out in Republican ranks, he admitted he had disagreements with his running mate but spoke warmly of her. In the latest attack on Mrs Palin, an unnamed McCain aide called her "a whack job" meaning mentally unstable.

That came just hours after the pair staged a joint rally in a show of unity which followed previous jibes that she was a "diva" who could not be trusted.

"It's getting around that there are differences between myself and Sarah Palin," Mr McCain told Fox News. "We are very close. We are both mavericks do you expect two mavericks to agree on everything?" The in-fighting comes as the polls show Barack Obama is keeping a lead of six points.

Republicans have been deeply demoralised by the tail end of the George Bush years. The arrival of Mrs Palin, regarded as a bad choice by some advisers, has added to the divisions.

Critics of Mrs Palin say she is pandering to the religious Right-wing, a declining force, to position herself to run for President in 2012. Republican modernisers say they should be aiming to appeal more strongly to urban voters.

But supporters point out that she draws bigger crowds than Mr McCain and has shored up the core vote.