Palin introduces herself, jabs critics

Palin introduces herself, jabs critics

By Martha T. Moore, USA TODAY
ST. PAUL — For five days, Sarah Palin has undergone personal and political scrutiny, attacks from Democrats and praise from her fellow Republicans.
Finally, the GOP vice presidential candidate introduced herself to the nation by tracing her rise from team mom to governor, highlighting experience she says is more valuable than that of the legislators on the Democratic ticket.


PALIN'S SPEECH: Read the full text (PDF)

For many Americans, Palin's speech is the closest look at the Alaska governor chosen by Republican John McCain as his running mate. Palin talked about her background in the town of Wasilla, where she got her start in politics on the local PTA, and her record in the statehouse, where she overhauled Alaska's ethics laws. She served as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002 and was elected governor in 2006.

Palin has also pushed to build a $30 billion pipeline to get natural gas from Alaska's Prudhoe Bay to the rest of the United States. The McCain campaign has touted her as a leader in efforts to reduce reliance on imported oil.

"The fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all," she said.

"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," she said.

Palin echoed an accusation McCain has leveled against Barack Obama: that the Democrat's promise of change is really about his own political ambition.

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change," she said.

The speech capped the third day of the convention, after Hurricane Gustav limited Monday's events. "We're back on track," said Robert "Mike" Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Palin's family was in St. Paul for her big moment and greeted McCain at the airport when he landed here. They included Bristol, the governor's 17-year-old daughter whose pregnancy was announced Monday, and Bristol's boyfriend, Levi Johnston. During the convention's evening session, Bristol and Levi held hands while seated in the VIP box.

Scrutiny of Palin has included her record as mayor and governor. But, like the candidacy of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, it has also set off a debate about gender. Republicans say criticism of Palin is sexist, particularly questions about combining the rigors of a campaign with the demands of mothering her infant, who has Down syndrome. Democrats say the GOP's attempts to appeal to female voters with a female candidate is also sexist.

"Women's support is not automatically transferable, and it is condescending to us to think that it would be," Susan Swecker, a Democratic delegate from Virginia, said in a conference call with reporters. She supported Clinton and now backs Obama.

By contrast, McCain's wife, Cindy, told PBS that she is "insulted by anyone that would assume just because a woman has children, she can't do her job."

McCain compared Palin's experience to her own: running a family business, traveling overseas for charity and being a mother: "All women know we can do it; we can do it really well, and the more you give us the better we are."

Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican former governor of New Jersey, said it will take persuasion to win over independents, particularly from states with strong support for gun control and abortion rights. Palin is a member of the National Rifle Association and opposes abortion, except when the woman's life is at risk.

"It'll take a little bit of time to say, does she approach problems … the way I would want them approached, does she think somewhat the same way," Whitman said. "Because, clearly, we'll differ on some of the basic social issues."

Lynne Cottrell, a GOP delegate from Aurora, Colo., said Palin's conservative views will likely bother "single-issue" voters. However, she said bringing Palin onto the ticket was necessary to ensure that Republican voters who have been "complacent" about McCain because of his work with Democrats will now get fully behind him. "They needed to do that," she said. "They complement each other."

Contributing: Alan Gomez








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