Who Wrote Palin's Speech?

Yesterday, John McCain's campaign manager told reporters that their camp was busy tinkering with Sarah Palin's big speech so that it would be less "masculine." The speech, you see, had been written before she'd been picked, for a man. But who, exactly, wrote it? The Obama campaign claims it was Bush speechwriter, Matthew Scully.

Clearly, Palin added her two cents, biographical details, and delivered the whole thing with conviction and flair. And, indeed, most of the speeches we hear from politicians have been largely ghost-written. But given the fact that the bulk of Palin's was prepared in advance, the whole "Washington outsider" theme seems a bit undercut. No doubt, Palin is a bona fide outsider, but she's also being employed to play the pit bull by a pretty savvy group of insiders.

If Palin had actually written all of the portions of the speech that were about energy, she might have included the following words, delivered before she'd met McCain and Bush's handlers:

"We in Alaska feel that crunch and are taking steps to address it right here at home," Governor Palin said. "This is a tool that must be on the table to buy us time until our long-term energy plans can be put into place. We have already enjoyed the support of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and it is gratifying to see Senator Obama get on board."

And if you were wondering why, during the "getting to know you" portion of the speech, Palin didn't elaborate on her role as the commander of the Alaska National Guard, it may be because she has never actually given the guard a single order.

Lastly, many of you are asking: What about Obama? Time has an interesting piece on the subject.