Palin/McCain Camp Bars Press From UN Meetings

Continuing their strategy of stonewalling the media, Palin and McCain are refusing to admit reporters into the meetings that Palin has scheduled at the United Nations. Palin’s UN visit includes chats with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The campaign is hoping to enhance her foreign policy cred by having her spend a few minutes with a couple of U.S. allies.

Whatever public relations boost they intended to score with this stunt is going to be severely limited by the fact that they consider the press to be persona non grata. According to the AP:

“The campaign told the TV producer, print and wire reporters in the press pool that follows the Alaska governor that they would not be admitted with the photographers and camera crew taken in to photograph the meetings. At least two news organizations, including The Associated Press, objected and were told that the decision was not subject to discussion.”

CNN, whose camera crew were assigned to cover the event for television news organizations, threatened to pull out of this sham photo opportunity if their producer (who is also a reporter) was not allowed in. As that would have denied Palin the all-important TV exposure for which these events are staged, the campaign relented (I guess the decision was open to discussion after all). But he will still not be allowed to ask any questions.

Without submitting to questions from the press, Palin’s tea party does nothing to inform her or the public. She is no more a foreign policy expert today than she was yesterday, and voters are no better acquainted with her qualifications to be vice president. Of all the questions that won’t be asked, there is one that is rising in urgency: What are they afraid of?

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