Not just a pretty face

Not since Richard Nixon in 1952 has such an "average American" been nominated for presidential office. Sarah Palin stepped out of near obscurity as the Governor of the almost Canadian state up in the cold harsh north of the US to be come one of the most Googled people since Paris Hilton's sex tapes were "released". I mean everyone knows who McCain, Obama and Biden are but who the hell is Sarah Palin?

Well last night at the Republican Nation Convention in Minneapolis, Palin revealed herself to the world (just not in a way a lot of us would hope for, heh heh!) by delivering possibly the most important speech of her career and captured the hearts and minds of all who would doubt her, mostly in her own party, a party that needed to be re-energised and enthused because their "ideal candidates" were rejected by the people.

She was cheered and applauded for minutes before she could even start. She introduced herself to the world and delivered her own thoughts on issues and told delegates about her own experience in reforming her own small corner of government and how she's not afraid of shaking up the "Washington Elite".

The Vice-President is often seen as the "attack-dog" of the President and Palin proved more than capable of filling that role - and she didn't even need her guns. She took a swat at her political opponents who disgraced themselves by mocking her service as a town mayor and in turn mocked their own ridiculous "Styrofoam Greek columns". There was no venom in her voice, she's the type that can wound or kill with a smile (and what a smile!).

Palin's family were also in attendance lending an even more human face to this remarkable woman. She cited that her family had the same challenges and ups and downs of other families. Some of these challenges have been dragged unfairly and unjustly through the media recently and even Obama himself has asked them to stop.

She cited that Obama and Biden have oft said how they will fight for the American people, but she reminded that only one candidate has ever really fought for them "in places where winning means survival and defeat means death. And that man is John McCain."

She finished by citing an anecdote about the future President: "A prisoner of war, Tom Moe of Ohio recalls looking through a pinhole in his cell door as Lt.Cmdr. John McCain was led down the hallway by the guards, day after day. And the story is told, when McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn towards Moe’s door, and he’d flash a grin and a thumbs up, as if to say, “We’re going to pull through this. My fellow Americans, that is the kind of man America needs to see us through the next four years."

It's fair to say that Palin has taken the first step in unifying the party and claiming some of the the votes of the undecided or independent voters which comprises of about 20% of the total electorate. The next and final step to that unification can only be taken by McCain himself tonight. This and the next 60 or so days are going to be most interesting.