McCain Campaign Officials Give Palin High Marks While Insulating Her From Criticism And Hiding The Truth About Her From The Public

Word from McCain campaign insiders is that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is getting high marks for her ability to attract crowds, to manipulate media coverage and to serve as a distraction for the Obama campaign.

Palin was not the first woman considered to round out the ticket, but she was seen as being most able to appeal to the traditional Republican base, to bridge the void between McCain and conservatives and to appeal to those Democrats who are angry that Barack Obama did not choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

Putting Palin on the ticket has added an interesting dynamic to the inner workings of the McCain campaign. There are campaign staffers whose sole responsibility it is to monitor communication from the Obama campaign and coverage by the media for any hint of what can be considered a slight of Palin.

Any question about Palin's qualifications is sought to be reframed as a personal attack. There is a focus on being especially sensitive to any comment which can be characterized as sexist.

The challenge is walking a fine line where Palin is portrayed as being capable of serving in the Oval Office should McCain have to step aside while insulating her from any criticism.

Some have expressed concern that McCain is being over shadowed by Palin, but that is not seen as a significant problem. Dealing with criticism of Cindy McCain's wealth has yielded techniques that are effective in boosting the Senator's profile as needed.

What concerns campaign officials more than anything is that voters will learn too much about Palin prior to the election.