Rep. Allen West: 'Willing and ready' to join GOP ticket

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), the Tea Party firebrand, said Tuesday he is "willing and ready" to accept the GOP's vice presidential nomination, if offered.

“As far as the vice president thing, you know, who knows what the future [holds], because it wasn’t too long ago, you know, I was sitting in the desert of Kandahar, Afghanistan, and now I’m here talking with you,” West said on CNN’s Starting Point. “But, you know, I am always willing and ready to serve my country in whatever capacity that the American people would desire.”

The Florida lawmaker is a military veteran who served in the Middle East. The speculation was prompted by a remark from former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin over the weekend suggesting that West would be a good choice for the Republican ticket.

“You know who I’d like to see considered for the VP slot is Col. Allen West,” Palin said on Fox News on Saturday. “In this very tumultuous time across our world, someone who has served in our military or at least has intimate knowledge of the way the military works and should work, perhaps by having a close family member serve, someone like that — like Col. Allen West, who went to the school of hard knocks. He should be one who should be considered seriously for VP.”

West seemed to acknowledge that he remained a long shot for the ticket, calling the question "a pretty good setup."

"I’m in the military — I can recognize an ambush any day," West said, smiling, after the Palin clip played.

The Florida lawmaker said he was reluctant to endorse any Republican presidential candidate, however, shrugging off his influence.

"I think the most important thing for me to focus on are my duties up here as a congressional representative," West said. "I don't see any endorsement of mine being that important in this race. I think the most important thing is for the American people to decide."

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