Gov. Palin begins meetings with world leaders

On a day that has seen Bush speak to the UN about terrorism while Iran’s Islamofascist “leader” was listening in the same room, and a day the press threatened a revolt if the McCain campaign didn’t give them more access to Gov. Palin while she visited the UN, the Gov. herself is busy getting to know various world leaders. The NYT is among the first to report, with a photo, about her meeting with Afganistan president Hamid Karzai.

Pressies and leftie pundits alike are growing frustrated at what they describe as the McCain campaign’s sheltering of Gov. Palin from press scrutiny because they won’t give the media access to her in a way campaigns typically do of their candidates. I know the McCain campaign is fed up with the media’s pro-Obama bias, which has been evident ever since he made his big speech at the DNC back in 2004 – and I can’t blame them for how they feel there, because I believe it’s had a big impact on what people think about Barack Obama versus John McCain. That said, I think the McCain campaign should relent some and make Gov. Palin more available for press interviews on the plane with the media group that travels with them, and before and/or after campaign stops. I believe the Gov. is more than capable of handling herself, as she’s had to grapple with the biased Anchorage Daily News for years now.

The McCain campaign’s protection of her reminds me of the week or so where she was being treated as a “victim” over the lipstick on a pig comment from Obama, among other things, when she herself has never struck me as someone who would play the “I’m a woman and therefore a victim” card. The more Team McCain keeps the media away from Gov. Palin, the worse it looks. Not only that, but McCain hasn’t had a presser in a while, either. Sure, the media’s going to be looking for a gaffe, but that’s to be expected. The media’s not going to get any better in the event that Team McCain relents on this issue. But I think there’s a real possiblity they could get worse. Now is not the time to stay clammed up.

I can understand wanting to limit press access during her meetings today with the various world leaders, but limiting it on a day to day basis while she’s out on the stump with or without McCain, at this stage of the game it makes no sense.

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