Sarah Palin Blasts Home Run Through Convention

Well. That was awesome. I'm awash in a hardy glow of Sarah Palin's rockstar glory.

We could not have asked for a stronger statement from her than this. I'll get my one criticism out of the way first: I would not have concluded with Vietnam. No one can do more justice to the service than Fred and Huck did in their speeches, and I thought the obliqueness she began with towards his service really underscored his service and her son's, but didn't hit you over the head with the details we all know. But this is a tiny, tiny complaint. (Patrick Ruffini has kindly provided the text of the speech here, so that's where these are all coming from.)

Critically, she came out poised from the beginning. Of course, Rudy and Huck pulled everything out of their bag of tricks to get people loosened up and fired up in the Excel Center -- Rudy totally rocking the scrappy pep rally vibe of the audience, and Huck (who I preferred) telling that really wonderful story about the desks.

This speech was huge, though, and she didn't flinch. At all. Sarah Palin came out with guns blazing, re-introducing the family, and ensuring that the image people have of her tomorrow is a woman who can knock the hell out of a speech. The enumeration of what she has done as governorwas so choice. It feels like we haven't heard anything about factual things anyone has done all week, until she started in on the pipeline, the tax cuts, the surplus, the removal of excess perks.

The highlight, from a policy standpoint, was the little overture on foreign oil dependence and drilling here:

"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."

Hammering home energy gave McCain a boost this summer, and, as she trumpets here, she knows energy. Beyond that, it's sort of a toss-up between the habeas corpus jab at Obama and the tax burden part. Within the tax burden part, we had that excellent shout out to farmers in Minnesota, factory workers in Michigan and Ohio, and coal miners in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Great on a few counts: the populist, small town message fits her, her image, and her welcoming accent so well; all the states are swing-states, of course; but, finally, from a speaking prospective, the shout outs provided that cool little roll call like holler back from each delegation -- and all were on different sides of the room.

Her delivery sold the whole thing -- earnest and all fight, but without ever coming off fake, especially on the humor. A sampling of favorites:

• I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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?
• [Harry Reid] 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.

The humor illustrates not only her strength, but how damn poised she is. She looked wonderful, too; stylish and understated, and attractive (as did her family, and the adorable Piper Palin). And finally, I want  to conclude with a point that fellow Right-Wing Vitriol blogger Mike Warren made. Here's what Sarah Palin said tonight:

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

How refreshing to hear a woman politician praise America for its opportunity.

That's because Sarah Palin is a lady, and no one person could make me more invested in this election than she has.

Katherine Miller blogs daily at Right-Wing Vitriol.