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Palin says Levi is ‘part of the family’

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says you betcha when asked if Levi Johnston is still part of the family.

In a taped apperance on Oprah Winfrey’s show that will air on Monday, the TV talk queen asked if she’d invite her grandson’s baby-daddy to her house for Thanksgiving dinner.

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“It’s lovely to think he would ever consider such a thing,” Palin told Oprah, according to clips released from the interview.

“Because of course, he is a part of the family. And you want to bring him into the fold, and kind of under your wing.”

It remains unclear from the excerpts whether Palin did actually invite Johnston for dinner.

Palin said the 19-year-old Johnston “has the most beautiful child” — referring to her grandson Tripp, whom her daughter Bristol gave birth to shortly after President Obama defeated John McCain in last year’s presidential election.

“This can all work out for good, it really can. We don’t have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time,” added the former Republican vice-presidential nominee.

Palin is promoting her new book, “Going Rogue,” which comes out next Tuesday.

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Oprah also asked Palin if the botched interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric while she was McCain’s running-mate was a defining moment for her.

“I did not [think it was a defining moment] and neither did the campaign,” she said. “That is why segment two and three and four, and maybe five, was [sic] scheduled.”

She said McCain’s campaign said, “‘Right on! Good! You’re showing your independence. This is what America needs to see, and it was a good interview.’”

Palin added, “Of course, I’m thinking, ‘If you thought that was a good interview, I don’t know what a bad interview was.’ … I knew it wasn’t a good interview.”