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A Q and A With Nicolle Wallace, Palin's Chaperone
The McCain senior adviser opens up about the campaign and fires back at Fred Barnes.
UPDATE: Tuesday afternoon, Barnes made a public apology to Nicolle Wallace, admitting he was "wrong" to scapegoat her. Whether it was an error on Barnes' part or on the part of whomever in the campaign told him that Palin's post-selection shopping spree was Wallace's doing is unclear. But the apology is direct enough: "I was rough on Nicolle Wallace of the McCain campaign who was identified as the one responsible for getting the expensive clothes for Sarah Palin and being cowardly and not admitting she was the one. Well, it turns out I was wrong, I discovered. I apologize for my mistake and apologize particularly to Nicolle Wallace."
Wallace accepted the apology promptly, telling The Daily Beast: "I'm deeply appreciative. Fred is a class act."
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Nicolle Wallace is the funny smart girl who is allowed inside the largely male McCain campaign adviser club house. Actually, she's more than allowed in: She basically built the place. True, Steve Schmidt is often credited with bringing discipline and order to the organization that more resembles—in the words of former aide Mark McKinnon—"a pirate ship." But Wallace, Schmidt's fellow Bush-Cheney ‘04 and White House veteran, is the person reporters—and the public—actually see enacting that discipline; whether it's bantering with her opposite in the Obama campaign, Robert Gibbs, or conducting almost daily impromptu press conferences, Wallace brings charm and a smile to the ruthless messaging McCain has adopted.
So it makes sense that she was one of the first advisers tapped to help transition "Governor Sarah Palin" to "Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin." The two women are both charismatic, attractive, and—it turns out—controversial. In the wake of the disclosure that the McCain campaign had bought Palin $150,000 worth of new clothes, angry Republicans—and gleeful Democrats—have repeatedly invoked Wallace as the person responsible for what's become a signature gaffe. Monday afternoon, Fox News contributor (and Bush biographer) Fred Barnes told a stunned panel, "The person who went and bought the clothes and, as I understand it put the clothes on her credit card, went to Saks and Neiman Marcus... the staffer who did that has been a coward," then named Wallace as the staffer in question.
“Sarah Palin reminds me a lot of Jeb Bush, who was very hands on... She gets on her email and deals directly with press and the staff and it's very, very impressive.”
We reached Wallace Monday night, enjoying a rare evening at home with her dog, Lily, who also joined the conversation at one point. "That's Lily protecting me from Fred Barnes," Wallace explained.
Wallace opens up about:
- What Sarah Palin is like on the trail: "She works harder than anyone I’ve known in politics. She’ll go until one or two in the morning and she’s up again at the crack of dawn."
- The $150,000 clothing allowance: "The campaign made no effort to hide it from anyone. It was on our disclosures."
- The role of sexism in campaign coverage: "A lot of newsrooms have thought very carefully about how they cover race. I don’t think the same conversations have gone on regarding women."
- Why she doesn’t want to be a distraction: "I think politics is like an X-ray machine: Everything is found out eventually."
- And how she feels at the end of the day about the opposition: "Campaigns bring out the warriors in everybody."
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
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smdunne
Note to Wendy Button: this is how a classy woman in politics handles herself. I'm voting Obama/Biden, but good luck in your career Nicolle, you're great at your job and you will go far.
SactoGirl
Nicolle is a rock star, as you can tell from this interview. Her integrity runs deep and will continue to steer her well in what ever she does. McCain/Palin are lucky to have her.
JohnnyOffensive
Gee - I guess it's ok to be seeking the most powerful position in the world (in line to the Republican throne) and not have to face any media questions?
If she gave us just ONE honest to goodness press conference to show how she thinks on her feet, we'd all release a HUGE sigh of relief (or HUGE sigh of agony, depending on how it goes)...her hiding is the biggest reason they are losing this election.
alison75
I almost feel sorry for Nicole Wallace
But the fact that she was/still is an accessory to Sarah Palin possibly getting anywhere near the Federal Gov't overrides any sympathy I feel for her
Up until now seeing Nicole on TV made me cringe - yesterday I saw her on David Gregory and she was sympathetic
Get off the bus Nicole = they're throwing you overboard anyway so help your country and make sure Palin goes back to Alaska --- for good
jiml1956
There were times that I respected Nicolle over the past few months. She shouldn't be blamed for the 150k clothing expense, but after reading this article I respect her LESS. She's just a BS artist.
CartyBoston
Ana, Dear,
Bit of a puff piece, no? You let Ms. Wallace discuss sexism in the race but ask nothing about Governor Palin's fervent desire to remove womens' right to choose.
You ask nothing about Palin's deliberate initiatives to divide the nation into 'real' America and urban areas (read: areas with minorities).
You provided Wallace a platform to humanize Palin - at best a controversial, at worst an outright hateful candidate.
We read about Ms. Wallace's time with her dog, she seems so nice! However her chosen line of work has real consequences for real people, perhaps the 'Beast' is not the right place to come to best understand issues that matter.
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n--Y--jamesreiddealbrker
Nicole Wallace is unprofessional, rude and treats her peers and members of the media with contempt and disdain whenever she is given the opportunity to speak on her candidates' behave. He arrogance, sense of entitlement and inability to answer a question makes her an embarrassment to her profession.
I hope this election cycle is Ms. Wallace's last assault on the public.
Tricialea Tobin
LardGreystoke
Comments on just 2 of the whoppers from this spinmeister:
1) that "not any rational person accepts" that Powell's endorsement was a "cold examination of Barack Obama and John McCain": it sounded pretty cold to me.
2) re the "different standard" for Joe Biden and divine Sarah, agree with that: he is held to the standard of talking to reporters, and she is held to the standard of awaiting the "deference" due the rightful Queen of Alaska. Palin has been held to a miserably low standard from the moment she was foisted on an unbelieving country.
Crappola
Mmm... to be perfectly honest (and a little sexist) I would LOVE to go out on a date with Nicolle Wallace. Not only will our debates heat up during dinner at the local McDonalds (I gotta budget myself in these times of crisis) But she's not that bad to look at. Not saying that I don't have any standards because, frankly, I do. (no matter how low you think they may be)
But if Nicolle Wallace is up for a little one-on-one debate about our... stimulus package, then I'd be more than happy to REVEAL my plans to her. Although, I will have to ask for a time limit of 2 minutes for the response and wait for 15 minutes before the other gives a rebuttal. Who says I'm not fair and balanced?
NCbusinesswoman
Are you kidding? Has anyone DARED to ask the Obama/Biden buffoons anything? Do we know anything about them? Their arrogance is astounding! Take the day off for Obama on Tuesday? Unbelievably arrogant...Delay the World Series? This is like Big Brother invading our homes and saturating us with political BS...I hope it backfires!
Meanwhile they poke fun at working-class voters who are the foundation of this country. Michelle Obama spends $500 on room service (not reported but NOTHING is reported!) and Palin is mocked for her clothing (which she is donating after the campaign is over to charity by the way!). Why won't the LA Times release this tape they have of Obama's plan to re-write the Constitution and leave Israel to fend for itself! Amazing! Yet all of Obama's supporters are drinking the kool-aid!
I am a registered Independent and have voted for dems and reps in the past. But this year will vote straight republican. I have never witnessed such a media smear on a very dangerous man whose platform to use Obama's words is "just words, just speeches" and tainted with many holes.
sarahy
This is all shit...to many problems, controversy, and streached out truths
To many unprosesional tricks and unessesararies
UNPROFESSIONAL sarah....
You should stick with doing the right things like morals and problems of ou nation instead of media and you fighting for clothes
Politics is running for president on crack....
Teenagers no about something
14 year old revolusionists!
Kneeb0ne
I would have liked to see a follow up question to Wallace's statement
"The notion that it was a cold examination of Barack Obama and John McCain is not one that any rational person accepts."
What is she implying here? Is she implying that Powell is simply voting for Obama because he hates Bush? Or Powell is voting based on race? What is she saying?
It sounds like an attempt to dismiss Powell's decision as an uniformed endorsement.
livingintherealworld
from the moment that Sarah Pallin walked out on stage and announced herself as an average hockey mom, I saw someone who was not going to be able to control the way that she was " evolve " through this process. It is wrong to blame it on the media. Give us a break. Was it the twinkle of her shiny red shoes, or the saucy lipstick remark?
You cannot take someone and package them like you did her, then hide her like she is something to be protected, then in the end call her a maverickpitbullhockeymom. It won't fly in the real world. And that is what is so depressing and sad about how the people who operate these campaigns see the voters. We are not stupid.
AmiBlue
I'm betting the shopping spree was Cindy's idea.
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