Over at Talking Points Memo Josh Marshall brings up a good point regarding John McCain’s VP pick: she seems to be in lockdown mode.

On the RNC website they have a clock that shows the time: “Since Joe Biden’s last gaffe”. Perhaps the Democrats should put up a clock of their own, the time: “Since Sarah Palin last took questions from the media”.

In all seriousness, I’m curious why the fact that the McCain campaign has been keeping Palin (the Vice Presidential nominee of their party) in virtual isolation isn’t a larger part of the media narrative? To my knowledge she has made only two public appearances since the announcement, giving the same speech twice. Her scheduled appearance today (a speech sponsored by a Pro-life group) at the RNC was canceled.

Come to think of it this is probably an angle to the story The Left would be well-served to run with.  Sarah Palin is running to be second-in-command to the oldest president in American history and who, like it or not, is only 3 years away from the average male lifespan in the US.  Her personal opinions matter a great deal because there’s a not-so-slim chance she becomes president sometime during a John McCain term.

So why then hasn’t she talked with the media directly?  Why is it always through surrogates and campaign spokespeople?

It’s not too surprising really, the McCain camp doesn’t want egg on their face.  The story of “Sarah Palin: brave maverick governess and family woman” certainly beats “Sarah Palin: clueless politician” in the polls, no doubt.  But, sooner or later, Palin’s going to have to face the media directly.  When that happens I guess we’ll see if Lieberman’s a fast tutor.