Sarah Palin will be missing from action Sunday a.m.

As is The Ticket's custom, a post listing the entire roster of appearances on this Sunday's interview programs will pop up Saturday at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT).

But here's an advance heads up, in part because of who WON'T be found on any of the chat shows.

Three of the four now-official candidates on the major-party presidential tickets are scheduled to sit down for questions: Democrat Barack Obama on ABC's "This Week," his running mate, Joe Biden, on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Republican John McCain on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Absent from this list, of course, is the GOP's star of the moment, the not-so-long-ago obscure governor of Alaska who is McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.

Since she was thrust onto the national stage a week ago, her appearances on it have been tightly regulated by the McCain campaign: a few side-by-side campaign stops with him and, of course, her big speech to the GOP's convention Wednesday night.

Today, top McCain aide Rick Davis indicated the campaign isn't in any hurry to slot Palin for a Sunday show appearance -- and will do so only if he and other strategists determine it serves the ticket's purposes, not because some may view it as a required initiation for a major political player.

Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show, Davis said, "I'd never commit to anything in the future. ... Our strategy is in our hands, not the media's. We're going to do what's in our best interests to try to win the election. If we think going on TV news shows are [sic] in our best interests, we'll do it. If we don't, we won't."

Palin still will be busy this weekend. She'll campaign Saturday with McCain in two key states -- Colorado and New Mexico -- and she'll deliver his campaign's weekly radio address. That's one of those trappings of the presidency McCain has borrowed (notwithstanding the barbs his forces like to sling at Obama along these lines).

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Richard P. McDonough]

Imagine this woman having to answer a question about substantive issues unrelated to pork from DC which she got lots of while saying she opposed it? I can't.

The woman is a scripted sit-com without a laugh track.

[dave]

If Mcsame and the Republicans think they can sell us another pair of lemons like GWB and Chenney, they are in for a rude shock........

[PJ]

Hmmm. What are they hiding? If she is such a genius with so much executive and foreign relations experience (via living up there by Russia), why not let her show it off for the public to see?

[carol Backus]

She's not appearing by herself on tv talk shows because she's not capable of answering questions about the economy, international issues, or the environment without someone telling her what to say. She barely got through college. The republicans are desperate to win once again so they have to play the Right wing christian and woman card. What an insult to all women.

[mavis beacon]

She's like Vanna White! The female side-kick, along for the ride because she's cute and has been trained how to parrot the talking points.

This is wrong on SOOOOOO many levels, not the least of which is the blatant, glaring sexism that McCain is employing here. The ONLY reason this woman was picked is because of her gender and because of her sex appeal, the most common marketing ploy known to man.

How pathetic.

I wonder how long it will be before her newfound fans see through this? She becomes less "real" if they won't let her get out into the public eye and be herself. I have a feeling that once (if) she actually gets to BE HERSELF in this campaign, that she'll blow it.

[MickyD]

So, McCain's campaign is really not interested in what is good for the country but only what is good for their campaign. Many people will see this as a strategy that is another sign that McCain will just be four more years of Bush. McCain is perhaps the biggest hypocrite around. I would venture to say that he would make a worse president than Bush. It hardly seems possible but the immaturity and plain old win at any cost attitude seems to be his only message. Yes, John, you never made admiral but maybe you will prove to yourself that you are as good as your father and his father before him. Unfortunately the country will pay the price.

[Depretendah]

Palin is an empty vessel. She needs to be controlled and fed her lines. If you put her on one of those shows with ad hoc questions, it wold be plain to see. Thy tell her what to say and she repeats it. She did a great job about the pipeline in Georgia.

[vaporland]

Of course she's not going to go on any hard (so to speak) news shows yet - she's not been prepped enough.

When someone asks her about Kirkuk, she'll think they're talking about Nanook's brother in law...

[Myra]

Palin will only appear if it's in the ticket's interest??? What about the NATION'S interest? She's running for vice president. It is in the nation's interest that she be accessible for questions and a thorough examination by the people and the 4th estate - the media. What happened to "country first?" I guess that's just a convenient and cynical slogan.

[Zakk]

Sarah is obviously well practiced in reading from a prepared script. A talk show would likely put her ignorance on all the pressing issues in full display. So I am not surprised at the GOP in making sure that this does not happen at all cost. So much for her qualifications as a VP candidate.

[Mike]

If she's qualified to be VP, she should easily be able to handle some interviews. Pathetic.

[JudiNV]

Wow, is this for real? It sounds like Hollywood agents trying to manufacture and protect a "star". Is this a celebrity debut? Holy tabloid, Batman!

[Wayne W]

They are "going to do what's in their best interests." WHAT ABOUT what is in the country's best interests? Sitting in front of a few interviewers is part of the vetting process. It's an important part of how we get to know a candidate.

I hope everyone notices her absence -- and realizes what it means.

This is not "country first" -- this is "me win election first" "win at all costs" ... "putting unqualified person on ticket as gimmick into White House."

Shameful,

[Michael]

Of course she isn't on the Sunday shows. They crafted that speech word for word and they wouldn't have control over what she might say on a talk show. Plus she wouldn't have a clue about 99% of the topics and what she should stay as a vp candidate.

By the way. WHO CARES about her. No experience but McCain doesn't care because if they were to win, you'll see her about as often as Al Gore when he was the vp.

[baz]

It just amazes me, that the Media is so frightened of the GOP.
You acquiesced on Iraq... when they smeared Kerry... and now this.
The GOP plays you, like a little puppy.
The People would be served just as well, if there was no Media.
If a Dem were to be hidden like that, you guys would be all over them.
But since it's the GOP, *oh, all right* ... then, fawn all over Palin, when she comes out from under her rock.
This is for the VP of the United States, and you treat it like a Reality Show.
Got news for you, this IS reality... and you're helping a nothing become VP.
Enjoy, as America becomes the 3rd-World Country, it's heading for.

[John Culpepper]

How horrible. Sarah Palin should be ashamed of herself for hiding from the people she proposes to represent.

Is this what we want from our potential president? Someone who's afraid to take questions? Before the ELECTION??

Shame on anyone who falls for this malarky.

[Mistik]

How convenient..

[Character Counts1]

Why not come out of hiding Sarah? We have so many questions that only you can answer. Was it you who told us about your experience and how you are ready to be the potential occupant of the White House. Didn’t we hear you say that you consider yourself to be more experienced than Barack Obama? I thought so.

Just for starters, let’s examine some of that experience. When you Ms. Palin were mayor of Wasilla, the population was approximately 7,000. The current mayor of Wasilla is also a woman, Dianne Keller. Would John McCain have considered her as a potential running mate? How many small town mayors across the country would consider themselves ready to become President of the United States? After serving as mayor for two terms, you Sarah Palin moved up to become the Governor of Alaska. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the population estimate for the state is 670,053. In comparison the population of the State of Rhode Island is roughly double that of Alaska. Could it be that not all governors are equal? More importantly, could it be that not all experience is equal. If you Sarah Palin had decided on your own to seek the office of President of the United States, how likely is it that you would have succeeded? During the recent Presidential Primaries both major parties fielded an array of highly qualified candidates. Anyone of which arguably would have been as qualified or more qualified to become President of the United States than you, Governor Palin. So what makes you Sarah Palin more qualified? You have yet to make a convincing argument. Ultimately your qualifications for the job need to be examined and we need to ask, “how and why did John McCain make this choice?” Furthermore, we the voters need to ask, “are we ready to entrust you,Sarah Palin, with that level of responsibility?” John McCain may be ready to take the risk, but are we ready to take the risk?

We have many more questions, so we might as well get started. When will you be ready to start?

[Cinzia]

No kidding. Is anyone surprised?
She can't stand on her own in the hot seat and won't be able to handle the Vice Presidency either.

[John Jackson]

Gee, and after hearing McCain's speech last night I was stupid enough to believe that it really was about country first. Not about doing everything they can to "win the election" as Davis put it. What are they afraid of? Let the American people hear her interviewed and decide for themselves!

[Sog]

...puppet on a string...

[Frank]

How sad, she can't be trusted to answer questions, only read speeches other have written. Who the hell would vote for a person who refuses interviews. This Palin deal is a bogus as it gets.

[Ann]

If they are tightly regulating her appearances, they must be scared that she will show her ignorance about everything that matters to the American public, or maybe they are afraid that there are more skeletons in the closet. The speech she gave was obviously written by one of the Bush/Rove people, and she was able to deliver it. But we still do not know what her ideas are about the economy, global warming, education and health care. Do you think she would have got all this media attention if she was not an attractive woman because, really, she has nothing else to offer.

[Mark]

If she is such a qualified candidate, then what is Sarah Palin afraid of? The media should not let her get away with avoiding legitimate interviews. She is running for VP, not head of the PTA.

[GoSarah]

So what..........?? The demoprats will make a big deal of any issue however unimportant.