MSM Panicking Over Palin Bus Tour

Palin Family Tours Washington 'Incognito'
By Michael D. Shear, NYT

Sarah Palin and her family sneaked out in Washington on Sunday night for what she called an “incognito” tour of the national monuments, having successfully created a media frenzy and then ditched the press.

Details of the visit were posted Monday morning on her Web site, along with pictures that show her, her husband, Todd, and her daughters enjoying stops at the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the World War II Memorial. Read more at nytimes.com.

Palin Plays Hard to Get
By Jay Newton-Small, TIME

Almost any politician in the U.S. follows tried and true patterns when dealing with the media. They alert the media of an upcoming event, the media shows up, photos are taken, cameras roll. Sometimes questions follow. And then the media goes home. But not Sarah Palin.

Palin alerted the media to the first stop on her northeastern road trip: the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally in Washington, D.C. But after some event organizers expressed displeasure on Friday over her plans to attend the event, Palin’s staff refused to comment about the appearance and some reporters wondered if she’d even show up. No time was given – the event lasted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. No venue was given – Rolling Thunder’s course goes for more than five miles from Arlington cemetery around the National Mall. The annual charity for prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action draws a quarter of a million bikes and an estimated 900,000 participants – good luck finding the Palin family amid all that.

Amazingly, some media did (bravo, AP’s Phil Elliott), though the former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee mostly declined to answer questions. Read more at time.com.

Palin Fakes Out Reporters at Gettysburg Hotel
By Peter Hamby, CNN

Sarah Palin pulled a clever bait and switch on reporters in Gettysburg on Tuesday, as her "One Nation" bus tour rolls into its third day.

The Palin family and a few members of her staff snuck out of their hotel early, leaving their flashy bus behind in the hotel parking lot to give reporters chasing her the impression that she was still readying for the day ... But CNN was soon tipped off that Palin was long gone, off to visit the Civil War battlefields and onward toward Philadelphia. Read more at cnn.com.