St Paul, Minnesota/Washington - Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday defended John McCain's pick of little-known Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, arguing that she brought "balance" to the Republican ticket and was ready to lead the country if called upon.

Giuliani, himself once considered a frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination, told broadcaster CNN that Palin brings domestic policy expertise that would complement McCain's long military and foreign policy credentials.

Washington, Aug 25 : Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has voiced his sympathy for arch rival Senator Hillary Clinton, and said that the New York Senator would have been the obvious choice rather than Joe Biden as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s running mate.

“The strong choice would have been Hillary Clinton, the obvious choice would have been Hillary Clinton rather than Joe Biden as the running mate for Barack Obama,” Giuliani said.

“It''s kind of a no-brainer that that''s your ticket,” the Daily News quoted Giuliani, as saying.

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