Not since the Soviet Politburo have we seen such blatant manipulation to protect an untested Governor’s credentials. Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager said Palin isn’t giving interviews to the news media and won’t until “the campaign is ready.” Palin will answer questions from reporters “when we think it’s time and when she feels comfortable doing it.”

Excuse me? 60-days until the election and all we get are photo op 1-liners and ABC’s Charlie Gibson throwing mushy softballs? Senator Obama goes through 19-months of vetting process hell and she gets a free pass?

Then we learn this morning that the ‘interview’ bestowed on Sir Charlie later this week will actually be a series of short interviews where the campaign handlers can cut off access (just like the plush leather seats in the front of the Straight Talk jet), if they don’t like Charlie’s questions or tone? So afraid are the Republicans of a game changing September surprise or off-the-cuff ‘spunky’ Sarah gaffe that they will limit access to only those they trust? 

What self-respecting journalist would fall for those rules? Well, all of them in-bedded on the campaign trail. When will Charlie or any journalist see through this ruse and demand the MSM take their job seriously, ask tough questions and report news?!? This woman cannot be shielded from answering tough questions and the list is growing and it is far beyond the family.

Smart Politics has assembled questions that need to be asked and never will be:

1. Do you believe sex before marriage is immoral? (For Palin to answer that question directly she would either have to implicitly call her daughter immoral or show vulnerability on how consistent she is in her religious/family beliefs).

2. Do you believe government should force a woman who has been impregnated through rape to carry the baby to term? (Palin’s anti-abortion stance with few exceptions is out of the mainstream and could force non-political women who are intrigued by her candidacy to face her policy positions head on).

3. Who is the president of…? (George W. Bush struggled with this question in his 2000 presidential campaign, though it did not occur during the debates).

4. Why have you never taken a public position on the issue of immigration? (This question would highlight the fact that she is the governor of a state that might be out of the mainstream in terms of the problems it faces; Alaska does not face any significant immigration problems).

5. (Any question relating to the pending investigation(s) of her in Alaska).

6. Who do you support in the 2008 Alaskan U.S. Senate race? (She does not want to be tied to Ted Stevens, the scandal-plagued Republican, Mark Begich, who is a Democrat, or Bob Bird of the very right-wing Alaskan Independence Party (of which her husband Todd was once a member)).

7. (one of mine) Can you defend the racist comments attributed to you be a dozen witnesses and are they your true view of the political world in the lower 48 states?

From The Daily Kos: 

Is John McCain completely out of touch with his own campaign’s decisions or did he have another senior moment?

From today’s appearance on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer:
SCHIEFFER: When will you let her out to campaign on her own? When will she start having news conferences? When will she start doing interviews?

MCCAIN: As you know we just finished the convention. Within the next few days. I’m strongly recommending that she come on “Face the Nation” with Bob Schieffer. That will be the first of her 65 appearances.

SCHIEFFER: All right. We’ll make a place for her here.

And a few hours later:

Republican vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin is offering her first televised interview to ABC News in the coming week in Alaska. [...]

A McCain-Palin adviser says an interview was offered to ABC’s Charlie Gibson several days ago and that they expect it to happen in the latter part of the week in Alaska.

So, what happened? The options are limited here; either John McCain lied to Bob Schieffer, or he is completely unaware of decisions made about his own campaign. Or he forgot. Which is it?

Let’s just forget policy positions or issues and run all campaigns on 1-liner sound byte quips, that way no one has to think about the consequences of their action and they can just bleat along with the herd as we all skip together over the cliff’s edge. 

You have to see it to believe it folks.