“There is no area in which Sarah Palin does not agree with John McCain,” says the Democratic nominee. Shocking — the vice presidential nominee agrees with the top of the ticket! Obama, for the record, is showing considerable charm and humor on the show, as when he batted away an Olbermann effort to get him to address a specific question about Palin’s readiness by saying dryly, “I’ll let you take that up with her when, I’m sure, she decides to sit down with you for an interview on your show.”

Nonetheless, this really is a first — a nominee for president making a point of engaging, again and again, with the running mate of his opponent. I can’t decipher the strategy here.