Palmer's death is one of the few that seems to resonate both with characters and viewers of a show where the weekly body count occasionally runs into the thousands, but Haysbert's not comforted.
"I don't think any death gives anybody any satisfaction, really, or has any meaning. It was a device, and a device that I didn't think was necessary," said the actor, who was accompanied on his visit by his brother, Adam, who lives in Mount Airy.
Haysbert may have crossed into Jack Bauer territory to play Sgt. Major Jonas Blane, leader of a super-secret counter-terrorism team, but he seems more comfortable with "The Unit's" politics.
"All the stories have a spine of truth," he said, many coming from the experiences of co-executive producer Eric L. Haney, a founding member of Delta Force and the author of "Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counter-Terrorist Unit."
Asked about recent reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates might cut back on some of the Pentagon's intelligence activities, Haysbert noted that "we make pretty subtle statements - some subtle and some not so subtle - about CIA and FBI within 'The Unit.' "
Look not to "24" for subtlety.
"I started to watch it this season, and, you know, I'm just a little disappointed in its direction. But I remain a fan of the people I worked with, both in front of and behind the camera," he said.
"I think the politics has been skewed in a very, very right-wing way," he added, pointing to outspokenly conservative executive producer Joel Surnow.
"I never did like his politics. Very, very right-wing. I'm glad I'm not there because of the people [he brings] on the set," including Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, "people like that."
Neither Coulter nor Limbaugh visited when Haysbert was present, but "I heard about it," he said.
