Apparently Michelle Obama is following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton when conducting interviews. We can’t be too surprised by this can we, especially when the Obama’s prefer the celebrity treatment vs politicians running for office. Not that Sarah Palin would pull this kind of ‘Diva’ treatment but I wonder if Barbara Walters would allow no-go topics if Sarah Palin were to appear on The View.

From CNN Showbiz Tonight

Amy, Howard, great to see you both. And I want to begin tonight with “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She was the emcee for a luncheon for Cindy McCain on Thursday. And Cindy, of course, has been on “The View” before as has Michelle Obama. So you`ve got to see what Elisabeth says at this luncheon. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSELBECK: Cindy came into our hair and makeup room, fresh as can be, and unlike another wife of a political candidate whom shall remain nameless, she didn`t come with a list of topics that we weren`t allowed to touch. (MURMURS FROM THE AUDIENCE) No, that`s because she has nothing to hide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Oh, you can hear the murmur in the room. I`ve got to tell you it doesn`t take a brain surgeon to figure out the nameless person she was referring to was Michelle Obama.

Howard, I would have to imagine that Elisabeth`s boss, Barbara Walters, may not be too happy about this, revealing kind of what goes on behind the scenes at their show.

HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: You know, I have to tell you, Brooke, a lot of people aren`t too happy about this. As a publicist, this really disturbs me because I`ve always believed with “The View” and other talk shows, I can have behind-the-scenes discussion about the shape of the interview, the topics we`re going to discuss, things we might want to avoid for a different reason.

And that cover`s been blown and that`s just not fair and it doesn`t instill confidence in people like me who negotiate these appearances. So I think she`s done a lot of damage to the show.

ANDERSON: Well, I can say this, Howard, I bet Michelle Obama, who was invited on as a guest co-host of “The View” in the past, is also not going to be too happy that Elisabeth suggested she tried to control what was said and asked and also that maybe Michelle Obama has something to hide. Amy Holmes, what do you think?

AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I can certainly see Howard`s point. But I have to say as someone who`s been a guest on “The View” as well that I was encouraged to talk about everything. Let it all hang out and that was the ethos of the show, that this is a place where women connect.

Something I was really surprised by was that “The View” treated Michelle Obama frankly as a celebrity, that celebrities do oftentimes negotiate. They go into these interviews and they will only grant them if they`re allowed to set some ground rules. But when it comes to politicians and public figures who, you know, have to earn the voters` trust, that journalists are - you know, they expect to have free access to ask anything they want, any tough, hard-hitting questions.

And I would imagine that Barbara Walters is none too happy that Elisabeth has revealed that the show did not treat Michelle Obama journalistically and instead treated her as a celebrity.

ANDERSON: Exactly. Yes, journalistically with no pre-assessed conditions. And you`re right. The point of “The View” is for co-hosts to express their opinions from that show politically or otherwise. I do want to note that Cindy and John McCain are scheduled to be on “The View” next Friday. Their daughter scheduled for the show Tuesday.

h/t Freepers

2008 Election, Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, Diva treatment, Dhimmicrats