The woman who wasn't there

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I neglected to post this on Friday, but there was a very funny (and very telling) Wolf Blitzer moment shortly after Biden was on giving his assessment of the debate:

We've been getting some emails from viewers out there wondering why we spent some time interviewing Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee and not Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee. We would have loved to interview -- we'd still love to interview Sarah Palin. Unfortunately we asked, we didn't get that interview... We're hoping that Sarah Palin will join us at some point down the road.

Commented TNR's Michael Crowley: "It's pretty strange when a candidate can't trust his own running mate to be out there spinning on his behalf."

Actually, it's not so strange at all. Obviously, McCain can't trust Palin, and, obviously, Palin isn't in any position to be an effective surrogate and spinner -- witness her disastrous Couric interview.

It isn't "strange" that she's being kept away from the press, it's highly disturbing, a sign of just how unqualified and unprepared she really is.

But the McCain campaign can't keep her "in lockdown" for much longer.

Her lying, deceiving, and misrepresenting, not to mention her abject ignorance and utter incompetence, will be on public display this Thursday in St. Louis. And, presumably, she will exceed expectations just by showing up.

(Which could work to her favour, given how the punditocracy judges according to expectations, not substance. It goes without saying that Biden needs to be really, really careful.)