Elisabeth Hasselbeck

reporting from los angeles reporting from new york "The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who vociferously defends the Republican presidential ticket on the air, is now going to be an official campaign surrogate. The conservative daytime talk-show panelist announced Thursday that she is set to introduce Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at two rallies in Florida on Sunday after the GOP vice presidential hopeful invited her to join her on the campaign trail.

IT was Tuesday morning on "The View" and Elisabeth Hasselbeck was outnumbered, again. That's not unusual on ABC's tumultuous daytime coffee klatch, which has emerged as a pop culture staple this season with its freewheeling showdowns on subjects as varied as premarital chastity and prewar intelligence failures. The topic this time: Don Imus and the slur he used to describe the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

There was another announcement on "The View" Monday. But this one wasn't as dramatic as Rosie O'Donnell's disclosure last week that she would be leaving the daytime ABC talk show. Instead, co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck revealed that she was pregnant again. Hasselbeck, 29, and her husband, pro football player Tim Hasselbeck, have a 2-year-old daughter, Grace. "When you said you had an announcement, my heart sank!" joked Barbara Walters, co-host and creator of "The View."

Rosie O'Donnell has only a month left on "The View," but after engaging in a bitter on-air clash Wednesday with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, she appears ready to leave the ABC daytime program any day now. The two women have sparred about politics all season. But their debate erupted into a heated quarrel Wednesday when O'Donnell complained that the younger woman has failed to defend her against conservative critics.

Four days after Rosie O'Donnell abruptly left "The View," program creator Barbara Walters said she was saddened by her departure but vowed that the ABC daytime talk show would continue to thrive. "It's been quite a week, as all of you know, and it's a week that makes us in many ways very sad," Walters said at the beginning of Tuesday's program.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck says she and Rosie O'Donnell aren't on the best of terms nearly one month after their on-air dust-up on "The View." "Truthfully, I think a friend is someone who you have positive communications with, so I don't know if I would define us as friends right now," the host told "Access Hollywood" in an interview that was scheduled to air Tuesday. "I did define us as friends, but I'm not going to make the leap to assume that we will or will not be friends in the future," she said.

I am so tired of the lopsided news we have been receiving in this country. I have nothing against Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" as a person, but she represents the ignorant, self-centered people who elected the sorry lot that now runs our country. Glorifying Hasselbeck for her entertainment value makes the situation even sadder. With Rosie O'Donnell, we are finally hearing "the other side" on national network TV! Hooray! Phil Donahue used to talk about issues that mattered on his TV program.

IT was kind of Calendar to give Keith Wheeler a forum to blast all liberals [Letters, May 6]. I'm sure he is the same sort of moderate Republican, like Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who condones a "little bit" of torture, wire-tapping and spying in the name of "homeland security." I would advise Wheeler to watch "The View," just once, before he weighs in on such issues. A proud liberal, I find Wheeler and Hasselbeck just a "little bit" offensive. VICTORIA GROSTICK \o7San Luis Obispo \f7

A little bit offensive. I hope so [Letters, May 13]. I want to thank Victoria Grostick for her letter responding to my earlier comments. I thank her because she proves the point made in my letter that many liberals are incapable of understanding and respecting differences of opinion. She states that Elisabeth Hasselbeck and I are a "little bit" offensive. Victoria, this is what freedom of speech is all about. Constructive disagreements and diverse opinions are what makes this country great, don't you agree?

Elisabeth Hasselbeck will return to ABC's "The View" on Monday, and she'll bring along her infant son, Taylor Thomas, born Nov. 9. Hasselbeck, 30, who is married to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, has been on maternity leave from the popular New York-based daytime talk show since Oct. 23. The conservative cohost's first day back at "The View" will include "a big ticket item giveaway" for the studio audience and a full hour of "Hot Topics,"...