Search This Blog

Friday, September 5, 2008

No press conferences?

A week has now passed since the announcement of Governor Palin's selection as the Republican Party's choice for Vice Presidential Nominee. At no time since then has Governor Palin appeared in an unscripted environment: no press conference, no interviews with individual reporters.

So, start with former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson's insightful remark: "a week is a long time in politics." If that is true - and it is - then conspiracy theorists will be sure that there is something to hide while the more thoughtful of us merely wonder.

At some stage, the McCain campaign will have to take the risk of letting her speak for herself in the company of probing, if not hostile, questioners. Sooner is better than later, particularly if there are ugly secrets lurking in the background.

One of my mentors - who later became a very high government official - once told me that there are no secrets in Washington DC. He went on to tell me that while there are those who believe that political and personal secrets can be kept, they are engaging in self deception of the worst kind.

If Senator McCain's campaign doesn't yet understand this simple concept, it may be about to learn the lesson the hard way.

No comments: