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NEWSROOMAMERICA.com Oprah Winfrey arrives for the 77th Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch) Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, who introduced Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to America's women, is balking at hosting GOP vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, a top Web site reported Thursday.
The Drudge Report, quoting unnamed sources close to the star's program, said her staff was "sharply divided" over whether to book only the second woman to ever be nominated to a major party's ticket, and the Republican's first female vice presidential pick.
"Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on," one insider said, according to the Web site. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."
The Drudge Report also said that sources close to the show are warning Winfrey she could suffer a "huge backlash" if she bans Palin.
Winfrey has a reputation for backing Democratic causes. She attended Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field a week ago, when she said, "I cried my eyelashes off."
She called his speech "the most powerful thing I have ever experienced."
Winfrey threw her support behind Obama early, even before the Democratic primaries got under way last year. She's stayed active since, hosting rallies and fundraisers that even Obama has acknowledged have given him a boost.
Last year, she blocked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is black, from appearing as part of a promotional tour for a book he had just written.
Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment, the Web site reported.
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