Oprah and Sarah

By Michael J.W. Stickings

"Is Oprah biased?" asks ABC News. "Host won't interview Palin."

This came up yesterday, with a report at Drudge that Palin wasn't welcome on Oprah, followed by a response from Oprah that Palin may be welcome sometime, just not now:

The item in today's "Drudge Report" is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show... I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over.

So is Oprah biased? Is she afraid?

It is safe to say, I think, that Oprah is hardly afraid of a dimwitted lightweight like Palin. And bias is not the right word for it. It's Oprah's show. She can have on whomever she likes. And, obviously, she much prefers Obama. I'm rarely one to stick up for Oprah, but what's wrong with that?

Besides, might it not be in part that Palin, simply put, is an arrogant twit and ideological extremist? As significant a figure as she is in American culture, it's not Oprah's responsibility to provide a platform for the Sarah Palins of the world, and certainly not while they're running for office.