Last night Sarah Barracuda showed us a little of how she earned that nickname. She can not only field dress a moose, she can eviscerate political opponents with style and ease.
In one of the best “red meat” speeches since Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin spent a couple of minutes introducing herself and her family, and then got straight to business.
Tackling the assertions that she would not be able to handle family and career head she promised parents of special needs children “A friend and advocate in the White House” and stated that in America “every woman can walk through every door of opportunity.”
In a direct rebuttal to critics of her political experience and the first of many body slams to Barak Obama the “pit bull in lipstick” hockey mom described her job as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, as “sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.” Palin then addressed media critics directly. “Here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion – I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”
Citing her experiences exposing corruption in the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and standing up to “special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol’ boys network” as Governor, Palin touted John McCain and herself as the true reform candidates. She may just have completely stolen “change” from the Democrats.
The Governor left no doubt as to her views on energy policy: “Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines … build more nuclear plants … create jobs with clean coal … and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources” and then seguewayed into more attacks on Obama, who she did not once name. “”¦this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform” and “This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word “victory” except when he’s talking about his own campaign.”
The traditional job of the Vice Presidential candidate is to attack the opposition. Barak Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate in large part because of his penchant for making nasty comments about his political opposition. Biden is completely outmatched. What Obama failed to realize is that anyone can ruthlessly attack their opposition, but few can do it without sounding caustic or contrived. The ability to verbally rip a political opponent to shreds without seeming in the slightest mean is a rare political gift and Sarah Palin’s got it.
I’d love to have seen the look on Joe Biden’s face about five minutes into Palin’s speech, at the point when it was just sinking in that he would have to debate this woman.
Fox News correspondent Britt Hume may have put it best immediately after the speech when, completely flummoxed by the power of Ms. Palin’s oratory, he observed “She can speak.”