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Macleans.ca

Canada’s magazine

The Palin speech

Yesterday, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin delivered what has been called by most of the political observers a “home run, out of the park” speech. She was forceful, articulate and she delivered a well structured speech. It had a family touch, it said the right things about the nominee and she was able to brand herself in a way that corresponds with the new positioning of the McCain campaign. The McCain-Palin ticket is now the maverick, outside Washington, and reform alternative to the Obama-Biden campaign of change. To be fair, Palin energized the room and surpassed expectations.

The best natural speechmaker since Reagan

It was that good. No, she’s not qualified, and the substance was thin, but my God — that was perhaps the greatest bit of political theatre I have ever witnessed. Her critics in the media and in the opposition may regret having piled on quite so enthusiastically, and with so little heed for who they hurt — or angered. Watching the tumultuous, ecstatic reaction in the hall, I was reminded of the famous words of the Admiral Yamamoto after Pearl Harbour: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant, and fill him with a terrible resolve.”