A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

I still have not watched the Palin speech--I hope to be able to do so tonight. But by all accounts, it was a huge forensic hit amongst its audience. And its audience was huge. It played well overseas, also and given that foreign audiences are much more pro-Obama in their leanings than are domestic audiences, this may say as much as anything about Sarah Palin's ability to connect through her speech.

Of course, it is the domestic audience that counts. And as a result, this review counts more than any that was written in an overseas news outlet:

Sarah Palin has done in five days what John McCain has never been able to do - fire up the Republican Party's conservative base.

The No. 2 on the GOP ticket clearly impressed the party faithful Wednesday as she smoothly moved from lavishing praise on McCain - "a true profile in courage" who has "determination, resolve, and sheer guts" - to throwing punches at Democratic rival Barack Obama.

"Victory in Iraq is finally in sight. He wants to forfeit," Palin said in her vice presidential acceptance speech. "Government is too big. He wants to grow it. Congress spends too much. He promises more. Taxes are too high. He wants to raise them."

Even as controversy swirled around the Alaska governor, there was little doubt that loyalists loved this mother of five, churchgoer, abortion opponent and moose hunter. They erupted at every mention of her name before she took the stage. And they gave her a thunderous welcome when she emerged.

The question now: Do they adore her enough to turn out in droves for McCain in the fall?

Obama had better hope not.

Again, Vice Presidential candidates do not win elections. But as far as energizing the base goes, Sarah Palin appears to have done the job and while it remains McCain's task to win the election, his job has become easier--at least for the moment--thanks to Sarah Palin.