Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

I listened to Sarah Palin's campaign speech in Toledo, Ohio concentrating on energy policy. This is a subject she obviously knows. Her delivery was calm, well organized, with statements backed by fact or anecdote. None of the shrill, cutesy, shorthand attack statements used in the standard stump speeches she and John McCain have been giving.

I didn't necessarily agree with all the facts, examples and emphasis she used in her speech. But that's OK. If I had any differences with the content of the speech, it was because of differences in emphasis or exclusion of some facts. But I sensed no outright falsehoods and only a minimum of personal attacks. That's a completely fair way to debate the issues in my mind. With a similar approach by the opposing candidates, voters who listened and thought about both sides would be much better informed and prepared to make their choices.

It was a responsible and uplifting political speech which revealed a very different Sarah Palin from the "attack dog" or "hockey Mom with lipstick" persona that the McCain campaign advisors designed for her. That's really too bad. This speech alone seemed to reveal a far more competent, reasonable, believeable candidate than the caricature that the McCain campaign handlers designed for her. It seems to me that she has been persoanlly badly mis-served by the role she was forced to play. If she has finally "split" with those advisors, it seems very justifiable.

Had both she and McCain conducted their campaign in the same manner as Governor Palin's speech this morning, the American electorate would have been far better informed and have a much better idea of the competence, knowledge and plans of the respective candidates. With more speeches like those Governor Palin gave this morning, I'm sure there would be far fewer people questioning her competence.

There also would have been far fewer voters that have become so turned off by the constant drumming of negative attack ads and speeches, like me. They might have even gotten my vote.