SARAH! SARAH! SARAH! Gov. Palin wows her national GOP

ST. PAUL -- It was a passionately partisan crowd. Its 20,000+ members were eager to love her. And after recent relentless days of negative stories about Sen. John McCain's pick for a running mate, the Republicans packing the Xcel Energy Center here were feeling besieged by an alien media, as the GOP has for decades.

But tonight for the first time in its more than 16-decade history, the Republican Party nominated a woman vice president, and fell in love with her at the same time.

Whether that translates into enough votes for the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket to win the White House on Nov. 4 will be decided in the next 61 days of campaigning. But for tonight among her own extensive family and among the GOP family assembled in this graceful old city named for a saint known for patience, Gov. Palin scored a rhetorical hat trick (a term any hockey mom would know).

At least inside the building.

We'll publish the historic speech's entire text below, along with some of the crowd's favorite lines. And here, before we describe more, are some video highlights:

Palin praised the top of the ticket for his courage and leadership. She vowed they'd reform a national capital that was once a swamp.

She delivered some pretty sharp elbows to the opposition's chin, as she did on the high school basketball court, where her nickname was Sarah Barracuda.

And she presented herself as a determined small-town mom aware of the needs and challenges of real American families.

The 44-year-old Palin had the presence of a former broadcaster, the poise of a former beauty contestant. The down-to-earthiness of a mom with five children, from 19 years old down to 4 months. And the realistic eye of a natural politician who knows the sales appeal of reform and the power of the pause.

And in doing so, Palin won the hearts of the delegates, who were but enthusiastic extras in the television drama transmitted into millions of homes. There, many Americans got their first impression of....

...this governor from a vast, distant land that was purchased from Russia by history's second Republican administration.

In her one ad lib of the evening, Palin drew a resounding roar from the crowd that frequently broke into chants of "Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?" asked the mother of five, pausing perfectly as the noise died. "Lipstick!" (See video below.)

Her husband of 20 years, Todd, a United Steelworkers Union member, smiled and nodded knowingly to those sitting around him.

By Monday she'll be out on the campaign trail on her own, delivering the message of the day as the No. 2 salesperson in the exhausting routine that is a national campaign.

And that will be yet another test for the former mayor and current governor who stood down her own party's establishment to win the state's chief executive job two years ago.

Strong and normal were the reactions of many delegates. Dick Stoffel is a 65-year-old carpenter who lives six miles down the road from Palin's home in Wasilla. He told The Times' Bob Drogin that he's worked for and contributed to her campaigns since she first ran for mayor.

"She's in touch with the common person," Stoffel said. "She admits she's not a perfect person. She has problems like anyone else. But she doesn't hide them. She's genuine."

"A political star was born tonight," Paul Viar, a retired GM worker from Michigan told our Maeve Reston. "That was astonishing!"

For video highlights of the speech, go here.

--Andrew Malcolm

Some of the crowd's favorite lines:

"I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

"In April, my husband, Todd, and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical. That's how it is with us.

"Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love.

"To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.

"I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

"Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve."

"We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers. And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs...but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state Senate."

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

"My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of 'personal discovery.' This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer.

"And though both Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, 'fighting for you,' let us face the matter squarely.

"There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain."

Remarks by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States.

I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America.

I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election... against confident opponents ... at a crucial hour for our country.

And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions ... and met far graver challenges ... and knows how tough fights are won - the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

It was just a year ago when all the experts in Washington counted out our nominee because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves.

With their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost -- there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war.

But the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off.

They overlooked the caliber of the man himself - the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of Senator John McCain. The voters knew better.

And maybe that's because they realize there is a time for politics and a time for leadership ... a time to campaign and a time to put our country first.

Our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by.

He's a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight.

And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief. I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way.

Our son Track is 19.

And one week from tomorrow -- September 11th -- he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

My nephew Kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the Persian Gulf.

My family is proud of both of them and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform. Track is the eldest of our five children.

In our family, it's two boys and three girls in between - my strong and kind-hearted daughters Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

And in April, my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical.

That's how it is with us.

Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys.

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.

And children with special needs inspire a special love.

To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.

I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. Todd is a story all by himself.

He's a lifelong commercial fisherman ... a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska's North Slope ... a proud member of the United Steel Workers' Union ... and world champion snow machine racer.

Throw in his Yup'ik Eskimo ancestry, and it all makes for quite a package.

We met in high school, and two decades and five children later he's still my guy. My Mom and Dad both worked at the elementary school in our small town.

And among the many things I owe them is one simple lesson: that this is America, and every woman can walk through every door of opportunity.

My parents are here tonight, and I am so proud to be the daughter of Chuck and Sally Heath. Long ago, a young farmer and habber-dasher from Missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency.

A writer observed: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people.

They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.

They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.

When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.< br>
And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.

The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

No one expects us to agree on everything.

But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart.

I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau ... when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol' boys network.

Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve.

But with the support of the citizens of Alaska, we shook things up.

And in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people.

I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top....

I put it on Ebay.

I also drive myself to work.

And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef -- although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending -- by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

Senator McCain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest -- and as a chief executive, I can assure you it works.

Our state budget is under control.

We have a surplus.

And I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending: nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes.

I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.

I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere.

If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves. When oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, I sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged -- directly to the people of Alaska.

And despite fierce opposition from oil company lobbyists, who kind of liked things the way they were, we broke their monopoly on power and resources.

As governor, I insisted on competition and basic fairness to end their control of our state and return it to the people.

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history.

And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.

The stakes for our nation could not be higher.

When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil.

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies ... or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia ... or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries ... we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we've got lots of both.

Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already.

But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more nuclear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources.

We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers. I've noticed a pattern with our opponent.

Maybe you have, too.

We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers.

And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan?

What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking new-clear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights? Government is too big ... he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much ... he promises more.

Taxes are too high ... he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars.

My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business -- like millions of others who run small businesses.

How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you're trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio ... or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia ... or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota.

How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy? Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election.

In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.

And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals.

Among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things.

And then there is the idealism of those leaders, like John McCain, who actually do great things. They're the ones who are good for more than talk ... the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend America.

Senator McCain's record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in Congress have fought the prospect of a McCain presidency -- from the primary election of 2000 to this very day.

Our nominee doesn't run with the Washington herd. He's a man who's there to serve his country, and not just his party.

A leader who's not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee.

He said, quote, "I can't stand John McCain." Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we've chosen the right man.

Clearly what the Majority Leader was driving at is that he can't stand up to John McCain. That is only one more reason to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the White House.

My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery." This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer.

And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely.

There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain.

In our day, politicians have readily shared much lesser tales of adversity than the nightmare world in which this man, and others equally brave, served and suffered for their country.

It's a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office. But if Senator McCain is elected president, that is the journey he will have made.

It's the journey of an upright and honorable man -- the kind of fellow whose name you will find on war memorials in small towns across this country, only he was among those who came home.

To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless ... the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God ... the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome.

A fellow prisoner of war, a man named Tom Moe of Lancaster, Ohio, recalls looking through a pin-hole in his cell door as Lieutenant Commander John McCain was led down the hallway, by the guards, day after day.

As the story is told, "When McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward Moe's door and flash a grin and thumbs up" - as if to say, "We're going to pull through this." My fellow Americans, that is the kind of man America needs to see us through these next four years.

For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words.

For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.

If character is the measure in this election ... and hope the theme ... and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause. Join our cause and help America elect a great man as the next president of the United States.

Thank you all, and may God bless America."

Photo of Palin at the podium: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times
Photo of Palin and her family: Joshua Roberts / Bloomberg News

Comments

[Memnoch]

I know you guys hate Obama, but try to be a bit unbiased. While it was a star-making turn, but the speech was callous and unclassy. I have no problem with a woman as president or vice-president, but not one that is George W. Bush in a drag.

[Eric]

lol ... all this did was re-affirm Obama's stance about the republican party. They "just don't get it" and its" the same ol politics" with them. Their ammo is personal attacks and bashing while Obama/Biden talk about changing and making an actual difference.

But the funniest things i hear from them is Obama's "tax raises". Which are directly geared toward the 5% of American's who deserve them the most. Who he defined as making 250k or more ... while Mcain dodges the question with a 5million joke(obviously so he doesn't hurt his republican status).

All I've heard from Obama are clear cut answers and actual solutions to the real problems going on.

What do we get from Mcain? Slander and question dodges. Which tonight solidified the same view/practices for his VP.

He just doesn't get it. We're sick of the same old politics. That's why hes going to lose.

[dave]

'she vowed they'd reform a national capital that was once a swamp.'

so they're all bent on turning that national capital into a swamp again?
unless they already did, which is what most people in america think.
a normal reaction.

the only, and legitimate republican presidential candidate to consistently and tirelessly be working for small government,
fiscal responsibility and accountability,
and the end of corporate lobbyism and cronyism, the end of wasteful spending and corruption, is constitutional republican candidate for
president, RON PAUL.

[Mr. Donelson]

Gov. Palin is a governor of a Alaska population of 670,053 people. Sen. Obama rep. population of 12,875,031 people in Illinois. Her speech writer is a former Bush's speech writer. People open your eyes and don't be crazy. Ask yourself do I have the judgment to pick the right president of United States.

[Jake]

Sarah rocked tonight! For those of you who found her "appalling" and are "offended"--get over it. The VP candidate's job is to be the attack dog. What do you think two-faced Biden did to his good friend John McCain when Biden took the stage?

Obama--all show and no go. Big talker with no substance. If you want to trust your future to that, you are blinded by his rhetoric. It blows my mind how gullible people can be.

[Hap]

Who the heck edited this transcript? Beyond the clueless paragraph breaks, did nobody editing this transcript notice such errors as "new-clear weapons" (uhh, guys, that's "NUCLEAR weapons"). Do your editors and transcribers even speak English? Do they have real, valid, and relevant college degrees? I'm sorry to sound harsh; but this is appalling and makes your entire organization appear dangerously mismanaged. How can anyone take your organization seriously if you post such sloppy work?

[Dan]

Palin is the only one other than Huckabee that does not need a teleprompter. If you haven't seen her interview on CNBC with Maria Bartiromo than you wouldn't know this.

However, I don't think many on the left or center-left will like her much...she actually speaks to issues and confronts difficulties. Not just a squeamish snake with an ad agency.

[RWJ]

McCain has in one stroke with this nomination gathered the right wing under his fold and polarized the campaign along the red herrings of abortion, gay rights, guns, etc., exactly what McCain said he was not going to do. You want to end up with an antagonistic right-wing female pit bull with no national or international experience as President of the United States? Then vote for this ticket. But if you don't want to end up with a female President who thinks like GW Bush that she is Wyatt Earp and foolishly and destructively mismanages the Presidency and the country just like GW Bush, then vote for the other guy, any other guy really.

[DS]

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

[Jim]

I loved her speech! What a refreshing difference. She is the everywoman, the hometown success story. I didn't think it was bitter, I thought it was pushing back the bull that's been pushed down our throats. She has good reason to resist all the blather and spin that's been in the media and from Obama. You may not like what she had to say, but you can't really dispute the substance of what she's saying. She has executive experience and Obama does not.
It's interesting about Palin vs Obama's experience.But he's the top of the Dem ticket, she's the VP for the Rep ticket. Don't the dems have things reversed? I mean shouldn't the guy with more experience be the one on top?I don't think Palin's lack of experience takes the 'experience' issue off the table for Obama. Look, Palin and Obama both have roughly 2 years experience in higher office.I'm talking a governor and a senator. You can make the argument that experience as a governor is more executive than as a senator, but even if you're generous and say it's the same, Obama still should have more. After all, he's on the top of his ticket. I think the Palin experience question will only serve to underscore just how much Obama is at best in the same league as Palin and at worst more of a rookie who hasn't been as accountable to make any decisions as she has (oh, yeah that's right he did vote 'present' 130 times)and who just happens to be a gifted speaker.
If Obama wants to get away from politics as usual then why did he pick Joe Biden? Biden represents the 'old style' politics Obama claims to want to get away from. Biden also said during the primaries that Obama is not experienced enough to be president. I agree. I don't like a lot about McCain, but he is at least an honorable veteran and an honorable man who seems to be unafraid to buck the system in Washington and has the knowledge and wisdom of experience on his side. You can't really argue with his record.But you can rightfully argue with Obama's lack of a record.

[franglais]

I thought family was "off limits"? She used her own child, Trig, to promote her, ahem, "compassionate" side?

And that line about "grow our food...work in our factories...fight our wars"?
The people who grow our food can't vote: they're illegals.
The people who work in our factories all got outsourced to Mexico and China.
The people who fight "our" wars overwhelmingly support Obama.

[George S.]

Sarah Palin -- The Iron Lady 2.0 American edition.

[Tony]

awtm= If your 6 year love this speech, when it is because the Republicans only want to talk to 6 years that belives their crap.
They are against science and reason, but then again, maybe they think we are stupid.

[Carlos]

As an independent voter, I must say Gov. Palin caught me off guard tonight... what a strikingly phenomenal speech that was...a political star is born...

[Kelly Jones]

It scares me to think that this lightweight character could be president any time soon. Journalism in the US has become one big tabloid experience. SARAH! SARAH! SARAH! - please - grow up, bloghead. This person might be deciding life and death issues for you and your family. I would not trust her for a minute, based on what I've heard about her limited experience and extreme views on abortion, global warming and religion. I think most people have enough sense to understand what's on the line here.

[Hope]

I thought that her speech was perfect representation of what is wrong on the right. They could not have picked a better mimic for the minority of people in this country that want to carve it all up for themselves and leave the rest of us to rot. Bravo Barbie.

[Arthur E. Lemay]

Not only is Sarah Palin an effective candidate for VP, she is also taking on Obama directly and saying things which are true, but which the Main Stream Media hates to hear, and which the Democrats fear. And, she is right. Obama has never done anything to show he has executive skills, judgement, or that he is anything more than a puppet of the far left and the political "old boys" in Chicago politics, and now is a puppet of people like George Soros and illegal foreign money.

She nailed him on raising taxes, reducing America's military strength, and his appaling judgement about Iraq, shared by the "experienced" Biden who has seldom been right about anything. She can say things which only a woman can say and show the kind of sharp elbows which a man fears to do because it is seen as "hitting below the belt." She has got the political instincts which matter and it is clear why her nickname is Sarah "Barracuda."

McCain/Palin '08

[Thomas]

That was a terrible speech. I'm not sure whether the content or delivery was worse. What was McCain thinking?

[james]

Not impressed? Disgusting? Listened a bit? Hate the voice? Are we talking about the same speech delivered with a stab and a smile? Excellent delivery! I read some bloggers who are i guess in denial? It's true, Obama will raise your taxes, tax your businesses (which will cause you to lose your jobs), give more aid to the lazy, I mean, 'needy' (mostly democrats). Ditched the pastor of 20 years because no longer convenient. Btw, I am getting tired of the dems line over and over and over.... tying everything to Bush because they have nothing! No executive experience, members of do-nothing legislature and congress. Sigh. Change? Where did that come from? In this election, only McCain and Sarah Palin can bring about change... they have walked the talk. Obama and Biden? All talk!

[Nancy]

PALIN was Great!

Finally some GREAT HONEST reporting!

Obama is not fit to lead. period.
Zero experience, lies about everything.
He is nothing, zero, NADA!

[Kathy C]

A very poor speech. So many mistakes, inaccuracies, stumbling, stuttering. How embarrasing! I feel sorry for her, poor thing, obviously scared to death! How sad that she supports sex outside of marriage. No morals or values. Not fit to represent our country. I think she needs to just go back home and raise those children who obviously haven't had a mother around. Bless her heart, she probably means well, just a poor ignorant thing.

[Marianna Pierre]

As a 44 year old, previous teen mother, with five childen and two sons in the military, I have much in common with Sarah Palin. However, this is not why I am thrilled about her nomination. I was a previous Hillary supporter and the only thing I had in common with her is I once forgave my husband for cheating on me. I lost confidence in Hillary before Barack nomination because she wouldn't fight him. It made her seem as if she was falling for just another sweet talker and didn't have a back bone.
I didn't have confidence in Barack because of his lack of experience and I still don't. He's just another Player player, sweet talker, say what it takes, liar.

Sarah Palin has my vote because she'll fight. What some may call attacks or sarcasm, I call fortitude to tell the truth. Give me the baraccuda!
I am more convinced of her conviction for her president than I am of Joe Bidden's conviction that Barack is good for this country. He's just made himself look like an opportunist.
The children are absolutely delightful to watch and the youngest licking her hand and smoothing out Trig's hair was a classic. She's adorable!
My congratulations to Bristol and Levi! Keep your heads up. Many people through history have been raised by teen parents, Barack being one of them. Many people through out history have been teen parents, Mary the mother of Jesus being one of them.
Now I am sure that John McCain is the man for the job. Behind every great man is a great woman.. and a woman that will fight along side of a leader is a great motivator.
John McCain picked the right person for the job and he has my vote.
Go Sarah!

[jefflz]

Who is Palin to insult Obama's accomplishments and the intelligence of the voter. More than 18 million people voted for him. Millions of individual voters have contributed to his campaign. It would take a hundred years of every vote in Alaska for Palin to rack up that kind of record. Who is this lightweight Palin to cast stones at Obama?? We are just learning like McCain who she really is. She is a creationist, anti-environment, denier of global warming, extremist evangelical who fired a city librarian for resisting censorship. She is a double-talker who fought for huge earmarks for her tiny town. She appointed a man convicted of sexual harassment to be in charge of Public Security. She is a hypocrite who attacked Hillary as a whiner and now wants to ride Clinton's coat tails. She has no real education and these attempts to give a strident abuser of political power (Troopergate) credibilty through The Big Lie will backfire and sink McCain. His judgment is on the line and he failed the test.

[Karen]

The Bush Administration has been juvenile and nasty, and now Palin -the ultimate "mean girl"- is the Republican Party's Prom Queen. Luckily, the nation is going to graduate from this nightmare high school in November, and Palin will go back over her bridge to nowhere. Time for us nerdy community organizers to get out the vote!

[tom]

Yay! Sarah was great!! I don't hate republicans anymore after hearing her speech!! Get outta hear. She's as dumb as a brick. Sarah, Sarah !! You'll make the evangelical extermist's, feminists and gun freaks happy!! McCain is a genius !!
If, God forbid, John McCain were elected and passed away while in office, this woman is going to lead us?? if you thought George Bush was a pawn what in God's name do you think the extreme right will do to her??
Four more years of republican insanity will be a nightmare for this country.
Don't be duped by the spin machine's phony patriotic garbage, fear peddling, denial and lies about our economy.