Short diary (and first diary):
Per the picture on Halperin's The Page, Sarah Palin has landed in St Louis, with her hair down.
As speculated in previous comments and diaries, Gov Palin may use that as a means to hide a device in her ear to receive talking points from GOP operatives.
Update
The replies triggered some additional thoughts:
- Palin does have newscaster/sportcaster training and experience. This makes it much easier for her to "walk and talk and chew gum" at the same time.
- Having her hair down may also be a conscious effort to break away from the "hair up/Tina Fey" caricature that's beginning to take hold.
It will be interesting to see whether or not she keeps her hair down, or puts it up in her traditional bun.
Based on almost all her other media and event appearances, she rarely lets her hair down.
In fact, upon reviewing the tapes of her debates in Alaska as candidate for Governor, she wore her hair up in almost all cases.
This raises several questions:
- Does the Obama camp have the right to check whether or not she's wearing an ear piece?
- If they ask, and she's found to be wearing an ear piece, then what's the fallout?
- If they ask, and she's found NOT to be wearing an ear piece, then what's the fallout?
IMHO, the Obama camp has to let this slide.
Even if she is wearing an ear piece, which helps her in the debate, the damage to her credibility has already taken hold in public opinion.
Any potential challenge from the Obama camp carries ENORMOUS risks to be turned back around upon them.
That would be THE game changer that the McCain campaign desperately needs. A much greater seismic event than Palin delivering a better-than-expected debate performance.