Sarah Palin (1 of 9)
Yikes! Sarah Palin is slated to appear on "Oprah" next month to promote her new book, Going Rogue. It almost feels like an absolution for Palin, after Oprah's endorsement of Obama and her very public snub of Palin during the campaign. Of course Oprah has long held sway over politicians. Click through this slideshow to see other pols who have sat down with the daytime talk queen.
Al Gore (2 of 9)
Oprah's first big political interview came during the 2000 presidential campaign, when Vice President Al Gore appeared on the show in an attempt to reach out to women. He defended his famous televised kiss with his wife, Tipper, at the Democratic convention, and received applause for calling her his partner and soul mate. Gore's appearance was deemed successful, if uneventful.
George Bush (3 of 9)
Soon after Gore’s "Oprah" debut, Bush had his own chance on the show. While Gore had talked about a kiss, Bush one-upped him by actually planting a big kiss on the host when he entered. He got teary-eyed talking about his wife’s tough pregnancy and recounted his battle with alcoholism.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver (4 of 9)
In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger went on the show with wife Maria Shriver while he was campaigning to become governor of California. Although the appearance was geared towards wooing female voters, Schwarzenegger mentioned that he used to say things like "a pump (lifting) is better than coming," prompting Shriver to slap him lightly and remind him, "My mother is watching this show!"
Bill Clinton (5 of 9)
In September 2007, Bill Clinton went on Oprah to promote his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, though the visit also dovetailed with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “I’m still sort of in politics because Hillary’s in politics, but I’m glad it’s her instead of me,” he said.
Barack Obama (6 of 9)
Back in 2006, when he was still Senator Obama, the president appeared on Oprah with Michelle and talked about juggling his political career with family time. He said putting his family first is "a terrific check on all the distractions and hype and hoopla that sometimes can bring you down when you're in politics."
Joe and Jill Biden (7 of 9)
Just prior to the Obama's inauguration, the vice president and his wife, Jill, made a joint appearance on "Oprah". Jill made a Joe Biden-style gaffe, saying that "Joe had the choice of being secretary of state or vice president"—a comment that couldn't have pleased Hillary Clinton. Biden’s office later issued a statement clarifying that he'd only been offered the job of VP.
John and Elizabeth Edwards (8 of 9)
John and Elizabeth Edwards appeared together on the show earlier this year, to promote Elizabeth’s memoir, Resilience. As a precondition, Elizabeth demanded that John's mistress, Rielle Hunter, not be mentioned by name. "You know, somebody wants to stand in the light, you know, that shines on John, that's one thing," she said. "If they somehow, you know, work at destroying my family and my home in order to get into that light, I'm really not interested in them being in the light too much. It's not about this woman. It's about this family."
Related Links -- Oprah (9 of 9)
Click here to read Michelle Cottle on Palin's "Oprah" appearance.
Click
here to read Noam Scheiber on Oprah and the 2008 presidential campaign.
Click
here to read Jonathan Chait on Oprah calling Obama "the one."
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