Election 2008
(2008-09-12)
MOREHEAD, KY
(WEKU) -
It looks like Sarah Palin is going to be spending a lot of time on the road with McCain. According to MSNBC, this will allow McCain's campaign staff to keep Palin on a short leash and shield her from the media. There's a way I can see this. The McCain campaign keeps John McCain tightly controlled. Therefore, it's no surprise that they would want to keep a close watch over Palin as well. But I still don't think that's the main reason why Palin's going to travel with McCain. The media and the rest of America has to face the facts. John McCain's just not that much of a presidential candidate. McCain is so gaffe-prone that his campaign staff has had to hide him from the media. Likewise, McCain is so volatile that he has to have buddies Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham with him as "minders" to keep him on an even keel. And now, McCain is so far overshadowed by his "instant celebrity" vice-presidential candidate that he needs to have her with him to have any kind of enthusiasm on the stump. If the Republican presidential campaign is all about propping up John McCain, Sarah Palin's celebrity status makes her the most important of McCain's campaign props. In other words, MCain needs Palin a lot more than Palin needs McCain. There's also the fact that Republicans want Sarah Palin to be president far more than they want John McCain. And that leads me to a final thought. If John McCain wins the election, he'll be the first president in American history who was a lame duck even before he was elected.Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will spend much of the next few weeks campaigning with Sen. John McCain, a move that not only capitalizes on the Republican enthusiasm for the vice presidential nominee but also limits her exposure to the news media . . .
McCain and Palin traveling together limits her exposure to reporters and gives McCain's top aides more control of her. Palin has not done interviews since the first and only one she gave to People magazine on the day McCain introduced her as his vice presidential choice.
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