Palin allows power puff interview on ABC

Seeking to deflect the public perception that Palin is afraid of the media, the campaign has announced she will sit for multiple interviews with John Gibson of ABC, sometime later this week. What a bad joke this is going to be.

McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis defended Palin's seclusion earlier, stating:

So until at which point in time we feel like the news media is going to treat her with some level of respect and deference, I think it would be foolhardy to put her out into that kind of environment.”

The campaign is trying to spin this as a hard hitting, no holds barred affair.

McCain spokesman Salter said the offer was made the day after the Republican convention and that there were no ground rules on what could be asked.

Well, that's because they found their patsy, who would show "proper deference" in Gibson. As Steve Benen points out:

It just so happens that only one network journalist got an exclusive sit-down interview with John McCain during the Republican convention, and that too was ABC's John Gibson. McCain appeared to enjoy the discussion -- he claimed that Palin opposed earmarks, Palin's physical proximity to Russia amounts to foreign-policy experience, Obama believes Iran is a "tiny problem," and one of Palin's "primary responsibilities" as governor is "national security." All of these claims are demonstrably false, but Gibson didn't challenge McCain on any of them.

This isn't going to a softball interview. It's going to be a wiffleball interview designed solely to further Palin's celebrity status. When the campaign admitted they were going to make this an American Idol style race, totally devoid of issues, I believe this sort of media avail is exactly what they had in mind.

Gibson may surprise us and challenge the spin Palin is now being coached in on the last day, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.


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