On the December 26 Saturday Today, as NBC anchor Amy Robach brought up Sarah Palin during a segment on people who made the news in 2009, Robach sounded as if she might have had a wish that Palin disappear from public view as she asked if Palin would "ever just go away?" Robach: "And, Brian, another big political story, the rise and fall of Sarah Palin, and yet she continues to grab headlines. Her new book came out. Will she ever just go away? Do you think she's going to be a big force this next year?"
Comedian Brian Balthazar seemed to want Palin to remain in public to be fodder for jokes as he contended that "when she opens her mouth, people pay attention. And, in fact, when she opens her mouth, often she doesn't stop, so it, there's so much to work with with Sarah. She's not going away."
Robach, possibly hinting that she also sees Palin as either a good source for humor or for the news industry which she is a part of, followed up by posing a question to NBC contributor Toure. Robach: "And, Toure, do we really want her to go away? Probably not."
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the December 26 Saturday Today show on NBC:
AMY ROBACH: And, Brian, another big political story, the rise and fall of Sarah Palin, and yet she continues to grab headlines. Her new book came out.
BRIAN BALTHAZAR, COMEDIAN: Absolutely.
ROBACH: Will she ever just go away? Do you think she's going to be a big force this next year?
BALTHAZAR: Well, I think she's a big force. I think Sarah Palin is like the Madonna of the GOP. You know, some people, some people love her, they hate her, and she has an accent we can't identify. I think, I think she's not going away. Her book, "Going Rogue," is a huge best-seller, it's on The New York Times best-seller list. You know, when she opens her mouth, people pay attention. And, in fact, when she opens her mouth, often she doesn't stop. So it, there's so much to work with with Sarah. She's not going away.
ROBACH: And, Toure, do we really want her to go away? Probably not.
TOURE: Well, I mean, I think there's a group of America that loves her and feels that she represents us, and then another group that feels like, `This is so disgusting, what this represents.' So she's not going anywhere, at least not until the end of 2012.
