SARAH SIX-PACK

FROM ABC THE NOTE:

As the political world braces for Wednesday's Wall Street bailout vote in the U.S. Senate, Sarah Palin is stepping up her "Joe-Six Pack" pitch.

"It's time that normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that's kind of taken some people off guard, and they're out of sorts, and they're ticked off about it," Palin said Tuesday on the Hugh Hewitt show. "But it's motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe Six-Pack like me."

Palin told Hewitt that her family is feeling the economic pinch and pointed to her husband's defined contribution retirement plan.

"Todd and I are looking at what's going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we're taking, probably $20,000 last week in his 401K plan that was hit," said Palin.

"I'm thinking geez," she continued, "the rest of America, they're facing the exact same thing that we are."

In Tuesday's installment of Palin's interview with CBS' Katie Couric, the Alaska governor was asked about a handful of hot-button social issues.

--On abortion, she reconfirmed that she favors a legal prohibition on abortion for 15-year old victims of rape and incest while saying that she does not favor jail time as a penalty for the abortion recipient.

--On the morning after pill, she said that she would not personally use that form of contraception while maintaining that her views were not a statement of McCain-Palin administration policy.

--On homosexuality, she said that she is "not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult relationships" while describing her gay friend of 30 years as someone who "happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made."

Couric will have more with Palin starting on Wednesday when the McCain running mate joins her Democratic counterpart in answering questions about a "key Supreme Court decision" as well as her views on the separation of church and state.

Per a Monday story by Politico's Jonathan Martin, "after noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases."

"There was no verbal fumbling as in last week's Couric interview . . . but rather silence," according to the Palin aide who spoke to Politico.

The Kicker:
"That little stinker, I guess he's called his girlfriend a couple of times, but can you believe he hasn't called his momma yet?"
--Sarah Palin to Hugh Hewitt on whether she or Todd has heard from deployed son Track Palin