That was the most refreshing speech from an American politician in years. She did it with humor, and grace, and steel. There were loads of good lines — one of my favorites, that the American presidency “is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery.”
What a relief, to hear from a national pulpit such a litany of sweet sense.
Watching the dynastic politics swirling around the White House these past 20 years — Bush, Clinton, Bush, (Clinton) — has become wearing. Listening to the collectivist chant of “We are the change we seek” has been alarming.
John McCain has picked for a running mate someone who gives me real hope for the years ahead, and a new generation. Sarah Palin talked tonight about an America of individual responsibilities, a country proud to win its wars and defend its interests — not a vale of groaning victims waiting for rations of relief from Washington.
On Obama: “What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to 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.”
We can expect quite a dogfight ahead. Her joke about the difference between hockey moms and pitbulls — “lipstick” — was not cosmetic. Tonight, clearly, directly, Palin looked straight at the Obama campaign and laid out the real issues. Whatever the smears and attacks and discoveries ahead, that kind of clarity has got to be good for American politics.
As for teen pregnancy, does anyone still think that’s the defining issue of this election?
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