Katie Couric

Sarah Palin returns

Back in the spotlight, former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin sat down with talkshow queen Oprah Winfrey on Monday, promoting a new autobiography and perhaps relaunching her political career.

In a mostly rather bland interview, Winfrey, a vocal supporter of Barack Obama in 2008, asked few probing questions, instead spending much of the hour-long show discussing Palin’s family life, relationship with husband Todd, and experiences as the mother of a baby with Down Syndrome.

There was little talk of policy, with Palin offering up such vague but patriotic-sounding nuggets as: “I'm gonna fight for whats good for America from a different plane and that’s what I am doing.”

Palin’s folksy style energised conservatives in last year’s campaign. Her blockbuster speech was the highlight of the otherwise grim gathering of Republicans at the National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota,