US Election: Palin to Answer Questions From Abc's Charles Gibson

Sarah Palin, an instant sensation on the campaign trail, is set to emerge from her media cocoon tonight, with a series of television interviews designed to silence critics of her record as governor of Alaska and scrutiny of her personal life.

In a carefully stage-managed media operation, Palin agreed to only one set of interviews, with Charles Gibson of ABC, which will appear on news programs tonight, tomorrow morning, and tomorrow evening as well as in a prime-time special on the Republican vice presidential nominee.

The broadcasts will include footage of Palin's soldier son, Track, who was scheduled to deploy to Iraq today, a mini biopic and a round table discussion on the vice-presidential candidate.

The interviews took place in Alaska, at her home in Wasilla and in Fairbanks, where she arrived by private campaign jet on Wednesday night and was greeted as a conquering hero by a crowd of some 3,000 people. The trip marked the first time Palin has returned to Alaska since embarking on the campaign trail.

Palin spoke briefly, focusing on running mate John McCain. "He's a friend to Alaska, and he will be our next president," she told the crowd, some of whom had been in line for six hours.

The Republicans hope that the blanket exposure will deflect criticism that Palin, a virtual unknown until a fortnight ago and a governor for less than two years, lacks the experience to step as president in place of McCain.

The Alaska governor, who touts herself as a moose-hunting, salmon-fishing, hockey mum turned political reformer, has faced a steady drip feed of negative stories about her political record and her family, including her sons Track and Trig, and daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant at 17.

Up until the interviews, she had not taken questions from reporters, and at campaign rallies has stuck closely to a scripted speech that is largely a distillation of her address to the party convention.

The McCain campaign has gone on the attack against any questioning of her record, labeling it as sexist.

McCain's strategists are also working hard to capitalize on Palin's appeal to Republican women, especially social conservatives, as well as a section of former supporters of Hillary Clinton.

The Republican presidential nominee was set to appear on the chat show, The View, as well as a cooking program to try to reach out to women voters.

Palin's instant popularity, and the success of Republican efforts to present her a feminist icon, have put the Democrats off-balance.

At campaign rallies this week, vendors began selling Rosie the Riveter t-shirts. Democrats had previously felt they owned the second world war icon. Nancy Pelosi adopted it for her own buttons when she became the first woman speaker of the house in January 2007.