Q&A with Sarah Palin's Chaperone

Nicolle Wallace, former communications director in the Bush White House and Sarah Palin's chaperone during the 2008 campaign, has written a new book, "It's Classified." One of the book's characters is "Tara," the Vice President of the U.S.A. Nicolle Wallace has said that "Tara" is "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," and she has said that the character was inspired by none other than Sarah Palin.

TIME Magazine has published an interview with Nicolle Wallace. The magazine asked questions (and made one statement) in order to get Wallace to talk about her book:

• This novel reads like a lighthearted novel for people interested in politics, but it's also a pretty big indictment of how the political process works. Where were you going for with this book?


• In the book, the vice presidential character, Tara Meyers, is completely unfit for her job.
  


• When you were working on the McCain campaign, what about Sarah Palin alarmed you so much?
  


• You have a line in the book where the vice president is talking about why the American people love her. And she says, "The person they admire isn't me, it's the idea that I'm them." Why do we need to have our politicians to be just like us? Do we really need to drink a beer with the President?
  


• There are so many women in these high-powered positions in this book, but they're talking about men and clothes and food. The female President was eating a bowl of fat-free yogurt. Why were they eating all the time?
  

Nicolle Wallace's responses can be read at "Q&A with Palin Advisor-Turned-Novelist Nicolle Wallace."

Nicolle Wallace also appeared on Rachel Maddow's show recently, where she said that Sarah Palin inspired the "Tara" character and where she made the "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" remark. You can see a video with Wallace's remarks on Maddow's show at "Sarah Palin inspired Nicolle Wallace's character "Tara," a "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" Vice President." That post includes links to places where excerpts of "It's Classified" can be read.