Lightweight Palin, all press on plane off the record, no AP allowed

[Wetzelbill]

AP Kept Off Palin Plane; All Press Off The Record

LEBANON, Ohio — John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.

More than 40 million people tuned in last week to listen to the speech from Palin, the 44-year-old, first-term governor whom McCain announced as his surprise vice presidential pick just days before. Since then, that basic script is all anyone has heard from her publicly, and her only interaction with the media was a brief conversation with a small group of reporters on her plane Monday _ off the record at her handlers' insistence.

Associated Press reporters were not on the plane, but an aide told the journalists on board that all Palin flights would be off the record unless the media were told otherwise. At least one reporter objected. Two people on the flight said the Palins greeted the media and they chatted about who had been to Alaska, but little else was said.

By comparison, her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, has been campaigning on his own, at times taking questions from audiences. He split off to campaign separately from Barack Obama the day after Obama announced his selection. They reunited at their party's convention and spent the following weekend campaigning together.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/ap-kept-off-palin-plane-a_n_125179.html

[dchill]

1. What a Maverick!

Uh, mavrick?

[Wetzelbill]

8. I heard Putin fears her

lol

[flamingdem]

12. He wrestled a tiger, she just shoots wolves from a helicopter nt

[heliarc]

2. No AP?? What? This is ridiculous. nt

[MarjorieG]

3. Well, lately they've been balanced and critical. She's off-record cultivating that McCain press love

[ej510]

4. Notice how the media lets this slide.

[Wetzelbill]

7. John McCain was a POW

I should be a paid McCain strategist, I have the responses all down. Mavrick. POW. Nothing else.

[dchill]

13. He WAS??? That sure puts a whole new SPIN...

on things! Doesn't it?

[Wetzelbill]

14. He is reticent on the subject

Or so Kelly O'Donnell says and I suspect she's lived in a cave for the last 10 years.

[dchill]

15. Actually, if I'm not mistaken, she's lived on the...

Straight Talk Express for the last 18 months or so. I'm long-distance diagnosing (a la Frist) a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome.

[Triana]

5. Aww the little Porcelain Piggy is Skeewwwrd of the big bad media...

...isn't that JUST so TOUGH and Mavricky?

Pfft!

:rofl:

PeeEss: PLEASE let the ADULTS run the country, eh? Then Little Miss Porcelain Pig can go home and play with some Moose antlers.

[Wetzelbill]

6. Yet I am fully confident that she can face down world leaders

with a plucky little finger wag and a line written by a Bush speechwriter.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. Sarah's not afraid to talk to the media.

The party machine is controlling her because they don't want her getting off script.

[MadrasT]

19. Indeed. The repuke machine doesn't trust her enough

to cut her loose yet.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. Rumor is

that the Fairbanks Daily News Miner is being excluded from Sarah's scheduled appearances in Fairbanks this week. Transparent indeed. Now they won't even let her talk to the local media.

http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2008/09/saradise-lost-chapter-forty-seven.html

[FrenchieCat]

10. Straight talk Express seems to be a dud!

[Marsala]

11. Even some of the more intelligent Freepers are objecting

They want to start training her to be the next President. :eyes:

[Wetzelbill]

16. kick

[bdamomma]

17. remember Rove is involved here with this campaign

this smells of rove.

[Wetzelbill]

18. and Rove's protege'

It's a smart tactic in a way, but they keep irking the press and it's showing a bit.