Palin's first punch is a solid hit

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may have been an untraditional choice for a Republican ticket, but her vice presidential acceptance speech Wednesday indicated she will be playing a very traditional role in the campaign's remaining two months: the running mate who leads the attack.

Palin said as much as she delivered the most important speech of her career with poise and pugnacity: "You know . . . the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."

And she flashed a lipsticked smile.

But Wednesday was the easy part. Palin, who once worked as a television sportscaster and was known in Alaska as an effective speaker, was speaking before a friendly audience that welcomed her criticisms of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, using a well-polished text drafted by campaign speechwriters and tested in rehearsals over several days.

The more difficult test, Republican strategists said, lies ahead -- in unscripted interviews, campaign appearances and a debate with her Democratic opponent, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, on Oct. 8.

"I think they've set a pretty low bar for her," said former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, arguing that as long as Palin doesn't commit a major gaffe she will be "a significant asset" to his party's ticket.

Republicans were buoyant after the speech. "She hit it out of the park. She cleared every bar," said Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1996. "Republicans ought to be very happy about how she framed the race . . . that Obama wants to raise taxes and McCain wants to lessen government."

"It was a good speech," agreed Tad Devine, a strategist for John F. Kerry's unsuccessful Democratic bid in 2004. But, he added, "It was a good speech for the partisan Republican base. I don't think it spoke much to swing voters. . . . She didn't really go into the economic issues that are a driving issue in this election."

The campaign's immediate goal, a senior McCain advisor said, is to help Palin "settle in" to her role as a national candidate and hope the current tempest of media stories subsides. They include several controversies over her firing of subordinates and seeking federal money for local projects as well as the surprise announcement that one of her unmarried daughters is pregnant.