Protecting Palin from the media

The McCain campaign had a close call this morning. Palin was almost forced to take a question from a reporter:

John McCain and Sarah Palin met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvilli and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, and in a break from preferred campaign policy, reporters were briefly allowed into the room for the photo-op. Big mistake .

McCain then looked around the room and gestured as if to welcome questions. The AP reporter shouted a question at Gov. Palin ("Governor, what have you learned from your meetings?") but McCain aide Brooke Buchanan intervened and shepherded everybody out of the room . Palin looked surprised, leaned over to McCain and asked him a question, to which your pooler thinks he shook his head as if to say "No."

Crisis averted!

Look, "What have you learned from your meetings?" is an easy one. It's not a trick question, or a "gotcha" question, or even a question intended to do test Palin's limited understand of international affairs. She could have easily said something like, "I've been encouraged by how much support the United States continues to enjoy around the world." No muss, no fuss. It's not rocket science.

But, no. The McCain campaign apparently believes the Republican vice presidential nominee is some kind of child, under strict instructions not to speak. Palin has no doubt been receiving extensive briefings on a variety of subjects, and could probably handle a random question or two, but the McCain gang is so convinced of her incompetence, they're just not willing to take the risk -- even after a genuine media backlash has begun in earnest in response to the campaign's heavy-handed approach.

It's really quite hilarious. She could be a heartbeat away from the presidency in a couple months, and yet the campaign is absolutely terrified of exposing her to the press. Terrified. Maybe stuff like this is why:

Katie Couric : If this doesn’t pass, do you think there’s a risk of another Great Depression?

Sarah Palin : Unfortunately, that is the road that America may find itself on. Not necessarily this, as it’s been proposed, has to pass or we’re gonna find ourselves in another Great Depression. But there has to be action taken, bipartisan effort – Congress not pointing fingers at this point at … one another, but finding the solution to this, taking action and being serious about the reforms on Wall Street that are needed.

Um, okay.

Campbell Brown is fed up with all the sexism:



And now the McCain campaign is even floating the idea of cancelling the VP debate altogether, and rescheduling Friday's Presidential debate for October 2nd. Don't let them weasel out of this one, Obama.

On the lighter side, here's 236.com's hilarious take on McCain's invitation to Palin to be his running mate.

UPDATE:

Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabour the point, specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I'll try to find you some, and I'll bring 'em to ya.

Wow, any guesses as to why they don't think she's ready for the debate?