CNBC's Maria Bartiromo interviewed Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, today as they campaigned in Hershey, PA. The live interview took place just after 9:30amET, and additional portions will air throughout the day, with the entire interview airing on Closing Bell at 4pmET and "Wall Street Crisis" at 7pmET.

Also today, FNC's Sean Hannity interviews John McCain and Cindy McCain, which airs tonight on Hannity & Colmes at 9pmET.

Tomorrow McCain will be on Larry King Live (although without Palin, as King was hoping for). McCain canceled a King appearance after a tough interview between Campbell Brown and Tucker Bounds in August.

We'll let Larry King's Website hype the appearance: "John McCain! Fighting an uphill battle for the presidency. Hear what he has to say following Barack Obama's paid address. The stakes are sky-high!"

Click continued to part of the transcript of Bartiromo's interview this morning...

Maria: On the issue of redistribution of wealth, which Obama talked about as far back as 2001 in an interview, what is wrong with the redistribution of wealth? How are you going to help the people on the bottom of the income scale?

Sen. McCAIN: Well, obviously that's been tried. That is a bold left-wing liberal view of how you help people in--they've tried it in other countries. America--look, you don't take money from one group and give it to another.

You get--you let people have the ability to accumulate wealth, create jobs, create opportunities, create all the things that a free society, a free enterprise system. Of course we have an obligation. We have Social Security, we have Medicare, we have unemployment insurance. We have all of those things. But to somehow say that we're going to take money because "Joe the Plumber" reaches a certain income level, now we're going to take that money from him and give it to somebody else, that's a fundamental contradiction to what's made this country the strongest and greatest nation in the world. It's a fundamental contradiction, and the American people are beginning to figure it out.

Gov. PALIN: So...

BARTIROMO: But we know that there's an income gap.

Gov. PALIN: But instead of taking more from our families and our small businesses, that's creating this atmosphere where we cannot create jobs, hiring more people, not if we're taking more from our businesses. Instead of doing that and then spreading that income according to a politician's priorities, let's do what John McCain has been saying, let's spread opportunity so that people like "Joe the Plumber" and others can create more jobs, they can hire more people. Because they'll be able to reinvest their hard earned money according to their priorities. We can be compassionate and we can be generous with others without government mandating where those dollars should go to. (Unintelligible)...minimum wage...

Sen. McCAIN: One additional point. One of the reasons for that inequality you pointed out, of course, one of the major reasons is because the rising cost of health care. Fewer and fewer lower income Americans are able to afford it, and small businesses. We want to make health insurance and health care affordable and available in America. That's a key item.

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BARTIROMO: How's the partnership going? Governor Palin, when I spoke with you in August, you weren't sure if you were on anybody's short list, and then two days later you get the call.

Gov. PALIN: Yeah.

BARTIROMO: How did it all come down?

Gov. PALIN: It came down the way it was supposed to, and it's all good. And it is very good, the partnership is very good. And John McCain, he is a true leader, and a true leader in his campaign in unifying and creating this cohesiveness that we need in order to get the message out there, allowing voters to know the stark contrast between these two tickets. And it's a world of difference what voters will have in front of them on November 4th. To understand that our ticket supports policies that will create jobs and get the economy back on the right track and win the war, as opposed to a ticket that supports policies that will kill jobs and will harm our economy.

Sen. McCAIN: Can I just say, I couldn't be happier. I couldn't be happier. The enthusiasm, the support, the people who come to--and look, here's two mavericks. Here's two mavericks. Did anybody expect us to agree--to agree on every issue? I think we'd be pretty dull--we--on ANWR, we continue a discussion about that. We're not going to agree on every issue, but that's the fun of our relationship. And I am so--I can't tell you the excitement that she has generated and the role model she is. I couldn't be happier.