Who's the guy in front of Sarah Palin's face in the ABC interview?

In addition to its much-touted broadcast interview with Sarah Palin, ABC News posted several excerpts from Charles Gibson's interview online, including an uncut shot of Palin in profile as the interview begins. In the TV version, this particular camera angle -- the viewer can barely see Palin's face, and her body language looks ever so slightly constricted -- is only partly used. 

But in the online version, the shot continues, and as Gibson asks Palin his first question -- Is she ready to be president? -- a distraction emerges of the kind rarely seen on network television: A tiny man outside the window appears to walk directly out from behind Palin's face and linger there for a few moments. There's an undeniable Gulliver's Travels* effect here, of a diminutive figure inspecting the great face of the governor (perhaps for lipstick?).

We here at Web Scout are wondering who this little lurking man might have been and have assembled a list of options.

Please register your vote below and/or leave other possibilities in the comments section. We will attempt to find out the correct answer from ABC Friday: Let's see if the wisdom of the crowd can predict it!

*Correction:  Sadly, I originally wrote "Robinson Crusoe" instead of "Gulliver's Travels."  Dear English teachers: please forgive me.

Comments

[Benny]

It's obviously her daughter's boyfriend.

[Omidal]

Mc campaign manager staying in range to whisper answers in palin's ears via a bluetooth device.

[Dan O]

Keep it up libs.... every jab equals 10,000 more votes for McCain.

[Cecil Manning]

What stupid journalist. The National Enquirer does better than the LA Times these days. Go broke and leave the news business.

[Judity Frazier]

For a while there I thought your employees went to Russia to study journalism but now I know you get them from some psychotic hospital

[d androjna]

I do not like her. I think she is not qualified to lead the country if somethig would hapen to president. But her answers were good to all Gibson's questions.

[Jesse C]

Wow! Chillo ut, everyone. Questioning LAT's reporting for this? "Oh my god! This isn't a news story! This guy calls himself a reporter?!?"

Scroll up. What section of the paper is this? What blog are we reading? I'll save you the effort, since you're obviously having difficulty: Its Entertainment, and its spinning through the weird stuff on the web. It's not the front page, not politics, and not intended to represent the pinnacle of in-depth reporting..

Sit back, breathe, and take life a little less seriously. If a bit of humor and observation is outside of your capability to deal with, they put nifty links on the top and bottom of the page that'll let you get back to the more serious stuff. I promisE.

[Me]

What man?

Move along, nothing to see here...

;-}

[beth]

It's Bill Clinton!!! He can't stand it that Hillary isn't in there talking to Charles Gibson!! Go Sarah Palin!!!!! We need some reform in Washington!!!! You people need stop with the smart remarks about Palin and think about doing what is right for once! You know what they say, annoy a liberal, work hard, be happy!!!!!!!!!!

[CandeeO]

Get a grip people its ENTERTAINMENT, says so right on top of the page. I thought it was an avon salesman but Benny is probably right, its her daughters boyfriend.

[hearingmusic]

This is officially the death of American journalism. You have got to be kidding me.

[Diane Mathews]

To Charlie Gibson:

I hope you had a chance to look at yourself in the interview with Sarah Palin. What arrogance you showed and, to use one of your words, -- hubris.

Too bad your politics won't allow you to give a fair interview to the Republican Vice President nominee.

I am ashamed of our network news and the people that sit at the helm.

[Danforth]

This is a ridiculous item and the LA Times should be ashamed.

[helen]

NO, No I love it! Let's speculate on some ridiculous nonsensical little man! We have all been reduced to the beer swilling, uneducated boobs ( the other kind of boobs, you rednecks reading this) that will elect this woman to be our next Vice President. Finally, somebody stupider and less threatening than George Bush! Or John McCain! And she can shoot a gun and squirt out multiple white trash offspring! Motherhood and apple pie! Sarah, we all just love you....

[Mary]

This made me laugh =) I am sorry that there are so many with the inability to chuckle at what is undoubtably a mistake!! We all make them...Rep & Dem alike.

If we can't join together to laugh at something silly....we have bigger problems then we know!

So relax....take another look - my guess is that Piper would be giggling up a storm!!

[daniel]

Why it's the LA times reporter that wrote this piece..the real story is you printed it, no , the real story is you actually paid someone to find something like this. Try and google the LA Times now......all you get is the word assinine. National paper?? You should have reported on Gibson's lipstick shade, a pitbull he is not.

[Ann]

That was John McCain hiding behind the bushes, just as he as been hiding behind Palin's skirt the last few days!

[spaghettidinner]

What happened to the Sarah from last week? She fell flat on her face in this interview. Nervous, shrill.

[Grizzly]

Hey Charle,

You need to go back to Robin and Diane and introduce rock bands in the street for Good Morning America. You couldn't even get Sarah to answer the questions the way you wanted. From what I seen old Harplug Biden better get on the train and ride to his debate with her early so he has time to study.

Oprah is going to be mad at you if Palin and McCain beat Ogama after she's donated all that money and threatened all the networks. She's not going to like you. I think she'll still be pretty nice to Letterman though he loves Barack Hussien Obama.

[Bob]

It was a McCain aid giving her signals about which of the paragraphs she'd memorized to use. He has since been fired.

[P. Davenport]

Hello Down There From Here In Alaska,

That's a Secret Service staffer at one of the pathways arches at the Alaskan Pipeline Museum. Sarah & Charles Gibson's interview was at the Guest Center at the Museum beside the Alaskan Pipeline. It is a beautiful place with flower lined paths to massive hanging pots of flowers with benches thru out.. (:-)
The Secret Service & local LEOs secured the area but a tourist bus & several fishermen off on a week trip was able to meet Sarah & Charles Gibson before the interview. The Secret Service & local LEOs was everywhere.

Peace be with you.

[lowercaselibertarian]

basementfrog posted:

"This is just part of a "comprehensive voter-challenge campaign" Michigan Republicans are launching this year, which will coordinate with the regional McCain campaign to train volunteers in challenging those who wish to vote on Election Day. (Whether the foreclosure-driven scheme will be implemented statewide is unclear.)"

---------------

I'm sorry, but this the Missing-The-Point-Of-A-Spoof-And-Thinking-It-Was-Meant-As-Serious-News-And-Whining-And-Bashing-That-Terrible-Old-LA-Times blog. There is no discussion of serious issues allowed here. Take it down the hall, where the grownups hang out. Thanks.

[Winston Smith]

"Hey look, a little man."

That's the state of journalism today? Thanks for pointing out inconsequential trivia...

WHILE ROME BURNS...

[Republicans Hate Facts]

ATTENTION: THIS STORY IS ANOTHER DIVERSION FROM THE REAL ISSUES.

Palin looked like a MOOSE in headlights when asked about whether she supported the Bush Doctrine. She doesn't have a clue about any of this $h!t - she is TOAST when the debates come.

LOL she doesn't have qualification to run a Wal Mart but you sheep still insist on throwing your country down the toilet. Thanks, republicans.

[DB]

"Snowmobile" is one word ... you L.A. types don't know anything!

signed, DB in New Hampshire