DB, the only reason I questioned staged was in all that time HE NEVER seemed to accomplish anything with that turkey. If he gets paid by the hour to procecss turkeys, the price of turkeys should start going up more than new cars from Detroit. 
I too think Sara is refreshing and "real"! That's what makes the Washington regulars (demos and repubs) and the DC covering media uncomfortable or curious about her (or freaking out over her). They are use to the phony people in politics who calculate EVERYTHING THEY SAy ... like putting a finger to the wind to test direction or doing a mini-poll in their heads ... BEFORE THEY SPEAK. Then they try not to step on any toes (except the opposite party politicians) and they try to be "politically correct." The result is they come off so fake, but the media, the other politicians and even most Americans have come to expect and accept that now!
Then along comes a nice, smart lady and mother from Alaska and she just says what she honestly thinks and feels ... and it freaks out some in media and DC so badly they had kaniptions and started swinging at her like some animal they did not recognize was suddenly flying near them. They are comfortable with fakes (on both sides of the isle) ... but god they freaked when a REAL lady who tells it honestly like she sees it came along and dropped the TELL EM WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR with a finger to the wind and full political correctness!
I don't know if I would want her for President yet. But I sure thought she was smart, attractive, savy and real when she was suddenly thrust into the midst of the fake politicians and SCARED THE WHOLLY HELL OUT OF A LOT OF THEM. 
ROB