McCain likens Palin to Reagan, calls her a part of his legacy

John McCain still has no regrets about picking Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008, telling ABC's "Nightline" that he's "proud" of Palin and views her as part of his political legacy.

"I haven't seen anyone since Ronald Reagan that with certain individuals and large groups of individuals who really have this passionate belief and support for her," McCain told ABC's Terry Moran. "It's really a remarkable thing to observe."

McCain shrugged off poll numbers that show a majority of voters view Palin as polarizing and said he had no regrets about introducing her to the national political scene. "I couldn't be more proud of the campaign she waged. I couldn't be more proud of her or her performance," McCain said. "So, I think, you begin to think about legacy, and I think Sarah Palin will play a very big role in the American political scene for a very long time."

Asked specifically if he views her as part of "his legacy," McCain nodded yes. "Sure," he replied. "I'm proud of her."

You can watch the full "Nightline" interview with McCain here, courtesy of ABC News:

It's unclear whether GOP leaders in Washington share McCain's affinity for Palin—at least after Monday. Palin was in Nevada headlining a tea party kickoff tour Monday, where she not only went after Democrats but also trashed top Republicans, urging them to "man up" and support tea party candidates.

"The bigwigs in the machine, they're driving me crazy because they're too chicken to support the tea party candidates," Palin declared. "The ideas of the tea party movement are the American ideals that will put us back to work."

(Photo of McCain and Palin in April: Darren Hauck/Getty Images)