Hot under the collar on ‘View’

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.

“I am more than honored to be there,” Hasselbeck said on the show. “I’m excited to do it. And I’ll have some stories, I’m sure, on Monday.”

“Take some pictures,” co-host Joy Behar responded tartly. “I want to see her wardrobe.”

Hasselbeck’s campaign appearance is the latest sign of the prominent role “The View” has assumed in the 2008 presidential race, particularly because of the conservative talk-show co-host, who remains one of the staunchest advocates for Palin and Sen. John McCain on television.

In echoing the GOP lines of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, Hasselbeck has generated heated clashes with her fellow panelists, particularly Behar, an Obama supporter. Their fervent political arguments have come to dominate “The View” and put a renewed spotlight on the popular program.

The show’s unscripted “Hot Topics” segment has lent itself to the unpredictable exchanges. Often the hosts seem to go out of their way to provoke one another, such as earlier this week when Hasselbeck appeared on-air wearing a McCain T-shirt she had designed that said, “Great Americain hero.”

The next day, co-host Barbara Walters told her that the shirt had drawn complaints from viewers.

“Look, if I sat here buck naked, people would probably see McCain across my chest,” Hasselbeck said defiantly. “That’s who my heart is for.”

The tension further ratcheted up when Walters tried to find some common ground between Hasselbeck and Behar, asking the women if they could see anything good in each other’s choice for president.

When Hasselbeck said that Obama could have had her vote after his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, Behar called her “delusional.”

“Do you want some more Barack Obama Kool-Aid?” Hasselbeck responded, triggering boos from the audience. Later in the show, Hasselbeck laughed as guest Bill O’Reilly needled Behar for having a sour attitude toward McCain.

The intense on-air debates have attracted the attention of entertainment magazines and blogs, which have avidly documented each new installment. On Wednesday, the gossip website Defamer reported that Behar and Hasselbeck had an angry fight backstage after the show, an account the co-hosts said was false.

“That did not happen,” Hasselbeck said Thursday. “None of those quotes are true. We would never say those things to one another as friends. And anything we have to talk about and we’re fiery about happens here. We save it all for you guys.”

“Lies,” agreed Behar, adding: “We’re having a delightful discussion and sometimes it gets a little heated. And it stops here.”

Hasselbeck usually finds herself outnumbered in the political debates, sparking speculation that she is considering leaving the program, a notion that has been squashed by her representatives.

“Elisabeth is passionate in her beliefs and enjoys being a part of this dynamic group of women and engaging in daily conversations,” her agent, Babette Perry, said earlier this month.

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matea.gold@latimes.com

maria.elena.fernandez@latimes.com