Palin Postelection Interview Requests Pile Up

Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey and Larry King are among those seeking to

chat with Gov. Sarah Palin.

AP; Friday, November 07, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin hadn’t been back home in Alaska

for a full day and her staff had begun fielding requests Thursday for

postelection interviews, including from Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey,

Larry King and others.

Palin had been expected at her office in Anchorage but later notified

her staff that she wouldn’t show up after all. She remained at her home

in Wasilla, located 40 miles to the north, but was expected in her

office on Friday, spokesman Bill McAllister said.

“The intensity of all the interest is amazing. Everyone wants to talk to

her,” he said.

Palin is coming off a whirlwind nine weeks of almost nonstop travel and

campaigning since becoming Republican John McCain’s vice presidential

running mate in late August. McCain and Palin lost Tuesday’s election to

Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“I think she’s been working from home,” McAllister said. “Maybe

she just

liked the idea of spending a whole day at home. It could be the first

time she woke up in her own bed and spent the night in her own bed on

the same day since late August.”

Aides to McCain and Palin, meanwhile, responded to reports of tension

between the two sides over the Republican Party’s purchase of more than

$150,000 worth of clothing for Palin and her family, and accusations

that Palin was ill-prepared for her role.

Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s foreign policy adviser, called the idea of a

split between the two campaigns “laughable.”

“It’s hard to believe these people worked for John McCain. They

obviously have no loyalty to John McCain and no loyalty to his running

mate,” said Scheunemann, who prepared Palin for the vice presidential debae.

“I’ve worked in Washington for over 20 years. I have seen literally

dozens of politicians, and Sarah Palin is as smart, tough and focused as

any politician I’ve ever seen. I’m proud of the time I was able to spend

with her,” he said.

Meg Stapleton, a campaign spokeswoman for Palin, said the accusations

were unfortunate.

“We have the highest regards for Sen. John McCain,” she said in an

e-mailed statement. “Gov. Palin was honored to be chosen as McCain’s

running mate.”

Palin returned to Alaska late Wednesday night, her final flight in the

McCain-Palin campaign plane. Dozens of supporters greeted her with

chants of “2012! 2012!” as she walked off the airplane — encouragement

for her to run for president in four years.

Asked by reporters if she might run, Palin said: “We’ll see what happens

then.”

The governor said she hoped to work with President-elect Obama on energy

policy.

She returned home after spending Tuesday night in Phoenix, where she

watched election returns with McCain.