Palin Speech to Feature Bio and Policy

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will address the Republican National Convention here at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, tonight at 10:30 eastern time. In what will easily be the biggest speech of her young political career, Palin will accept the Republican Party's nomination for Vice-President. No matter what she says or how she delivers the lines, however, one thing is clear. Judging from the reaction of the delegates to her selection, Gov. Palin will receive rock star treatment from the audience.

Delegates arriving early for tonight's session seem universally confident that Palin will not disappoint. One Texas delegate said that he expects the governor to do "great." He said that he expected her speech, "to erase all of the second-guessing that has surrounded her the last couple of days." An Ohio delegate agreed. She said that Gov. Palin's speech should contain lots of information about her policy stances and that she felt, "supremely confident that the McCain campaign has gotten it right with regard to her background." "I don't need to hear any more about her experience," she added. "I know who she is."

Republicans said that Palin can be expected to touch on her personal biography and experience in the speech, as well as giving viewers some insights into her stands on policy issues. Palin, who has been relentlessly criticized in the press and by Democrats over her qualifications to be president, will describe for voters some of the challenges she has faced as the governor of the nation's largest state. She will focus on her experience as an executive, and make the contrast between herself and Sen. Barack Obama, who has not served in an executive capacity in his political career.

On the issues, Gov. Palin will seek to reassure voters that she has the necessary judgment and experience to step in as president if necessary, and that she has the temperament and presence to handle a foreign policy crisis. Domestically, she will highlight her stance against corruption both in Alaska and Washington, and will make the claim that she has achieved results.

Palin is known as a strong speaker. She will need to be tonight. Republicans have been increasingly frustrated with the media coverage of Palin, and have mounted a full scale campaign to correct the record. But, ironically, the controversies may have generated more interest in Gov. Palin's speech to the convention. Republicans are counting on the speech being a real eye opener not only for the delegates, but for those tuning in at home.