To the surprise of just about everyone, Kamala Harris has had a remarkably good two weeks (whether her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz marks the end of that honeymoon or an extension of it remains to be seen).

Democrats, of course, have been pleasantly surprised. Prior to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, many Democrats were exceedingly skeptical that swapping Harris for Biden would improve their chances in November. So far, many of their concerns have proved unwarranted.

No ugly, protracted intraparty civil war for the nomination ensued; Harris essentially secured it within a day or two of Biden’s withdrawal. Her past positions haven’t made her radioactive among swing voters. Her very low approval numbers as Biden’s vice president have not carried over to her candidacy. The campaign transition was apparently frictionless: Harris basically just hung a new shingle on the same operation. And any concern that she didn’t have time to raise money was erased by a firehose of donations – more than $300 million in July alone.

The chief indication that the Harris team knows what it’s doing may be its effort to keep the candidate herself under wraps. Sure, we’ve seen a lot of her: in ads, scripted rallies, and a few brief statements. But she hasn’t endured an extended interaction with the press since before the June 27 debate that doomed Biden’s candidacy.

The Harris campaign’s decision to avoid sitting down with an aggressive or even particularly curious reporter is not necessarily a sign that it lacks confidence in her (as many critics insist). Even if she were a fantastic off-the- cuff political communicator, keeping her on script for a while makes sense. The longer she can be all things to all people – or at least to all persuadable voters – the better off she is. Answering hard questions runs the risk of disabusing some voters of who they think or hope she is.

Also, going back to Sun Tzu or Napoleon, it’s been a truism that when your opponent is flailing, you shouldn’t get in the way. This is particularly true in the Trump era: When people’s attention is focused on Trump, they don’t like what they see. And Biden’s withdrawal has provoked an eruption of ad hominem Trumpiness from the former president.

Shielding Harris from scrutiny could have serious consequences when, unprotected by a teleprompter or a pliable press corps, she produces one of her signature word salads.

I don’t like the sudden love with Harris. But even if I did, I would counsel some tough love sooner rather than later.