Press and Palin

georgia10, over at dkos, asks this:

It's been five days now and John McCain has not allowed his vice-presidential pick to be interviewed by the press even once.

If the McCain-Palin ticket is about "tranparency" and "reform," why are they so afraid about letting Sarah Palin talk to the press?

Oh, that's right. Because as a result of John McCain's two-minute "vetting" process (Rush Limbaugh loves her, so it's a go), reporters (and bloggers, for matter) have undertaken the real vetting process. And if John McCain is so intent on keeping his vice-presidential pick away from questions, well, what does that have to say about how she might answer?

This was about exposure. McCain's people knew they had a tricky job on their hands: they had to introduce a complete unknown to both the press and the public, and had to do it very, very quickly. The speech was the logical way to do that: it was mostly pre-written boilerplate anti-Obama stuff, and it was delivered to the friendliest of crowds, thus ensuring that everybody sees her in a positive light.

Even when it's over, the memory of it is going to color perceptions during the inevitable grilling in the months ahead. She needed it, she's a weak candidate, but it'll help slightly.

Here's a thought, though. If the Republicans had actually done the proper vetting and ensured that the issues weren't, this would have been incredibly, incredibly effective. As it is, it's probably going to fade away in the face of the various problems and scandals over the next few weeks. McCain's people must be furious that this all got out before the speech.