Some unsolicited advice to Palin's PR people

I'm not in the habit of giving Republican operatives advice, but after watching Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric I just have to say:

STOP LETTING HER DO NATIONAL INTERVIEWS. STOP IT!!!

I know you needed to get her out there eventually. It was getting to be embarrassing the way you were shielding her. You introduced her as someone who was ready to be president but not do interviews. The embarrassment was not that she couldn't do interveiws, it was that YOU didn't think she could do interviews. If you don't have confidence in her, why should we?

After watching the debacles with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, it seems your lack of confidence was well founded. After four weeks of being sequestered for cram sessions, she still doesn't have a coherent answer to ANY question. I can't think of a single answer that inspired my confidence.

Now...it's not that Palin's people have asked for my advice nor would they, but here it is...

Let Sarah Palin only do local interviews with small time news outlets. Let her do one in every small town you visit. You gain three things:

1) You have the illusion that she is out there talking to the press. Then you can make a legitimate claim that she is doing interviews with the real people...the people who matter. You do a couple of these local interviews each week, and the national outlets will carry them. They will mutter with jealousy, but they'll carry them. You don't have to talk to Wolf to get on CNN.

2) You are bound to get better treatment. The reporters in Po Dunk, Idaho, aren't going to ask you about the Bush Doctrine. They want to know how you will help Potato farmers. It's far easier to bridge to your Alaska story and connect as one of them.

Even better, most local reporters would be thrilled at the chance to interview a VP candidate. They will be so hungry to have a VP candidate you'd be able to demand more concessions.

Palin hack: We want the pimply face intern to do the interview, and he will use the governor's questions.

Pimply faced intern: Yaay!

3) You get practice, so you are ready for the big guns. You don't do your first big interviews with the top anchors of the big three networks, silly. Do I really need to tell you that? You can't learn on that scale. You haven't had an opportunity to feel your way around, learn your style. Worse yet, EVERY BODY is watching. Fifteen to twenty interviews under your belt (that are picked up nationally), you might have the confidence you need to stare down Katie with bubbly defiance. As an added bonus, nobody would care. Nobody is Tivoing, rushing home to see you or YouTubing your 20th interview. By the time Charlie peers over his spectacles, it would be part of the noise.

Of course, I'm sure they won't listen. They will lock her in her cage until it's time to parade her in front of the next conservative crowd....while the wolves and the spotlight wait. Just my $.02