***UPDATE***
Read excerpts from Sarah Palin's convention speech, as prepared for delivery.
On her experience as a public servant:"I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
On why she is going to Washington, D.C.:"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But 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."
On energy policies that the McCain-Palin administration will implement:"Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. 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. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."
On John McCain:"Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. 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."
Sarah Palin's speech tonight has rapidly become the most aniticipated event of the Republican National Convention. The speech will be Palin's first since news of her daughter's pregnancy has come to light and with the question of McCain's compietency in naming his vice presidential candidate on the table, Palin's performance will be crucial to the success of the ticket.
John Nichols at The Nation distills the speech's two possible outcomes, saying that the convention has become entirely about Palin.
If Palin delivers a brilliant speech, the sort that electrifies the convention and draws praise even from cynical pundits, she will be the fresh face of a Republican party that, after eight years of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Tom DeLay, needs nothing so much as an image makeover.If the governor stumbles, even if she simply gives an O.K. address to delegates who do their best to cheer her on, Palin will open up a long and potentially disqualifying discussion about the judgment of the man who selected her as his running-mate: presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
Time has a preview of the speech's subject matter.
She'll talk about challenging old-boy networks -- oil companies, Alaska's corrupt GOP establishment -- and learning to lead.
The Washington Post also managed to get some details on the writing process of the speech, including the fact that the initial draft was written for a man.
Sitting around a dining room table, the McCain team has talked to her about Iraq, energy and the economy but has focused on what she should say in her speech, struggling almost as hard as she has to prepare for what will be, along with a debate in October, her main opportunity to shape the way she is viewed by voters. Not anticipating that McCain would choose a woman as his running mate, the speech that was prepared in advance was "very masculine," according to campaign manager Rick Davis, and "we had to start from scratch."