If Barack Obama and his friends in the media and the liberal blogosphere thought they were going to be able to walk all over this particular governor, they received a wake up call tonight.  In the form of a swift political punch to the throat.

They can continue to attack the woman because, well, she's a woman, but she doesn't have to take it.

But I'll get back to one of my new political heroes in a moment...

Before she took the stage we heard from a handful of former Republican Presidential candidates.  Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney each spoke with the Michigan delegation going particularly crazy over the former governor from Massachusetts.  The men were playing offense and Romney led the way discussing tax policy and the war on terror.  

Mike Huckabee had the best line of the early speeches when he asserted:

"I am so tired of hearing that Sarah Palin is not experienced enough... Sarah Palin received more votes running for Mayor of Wasilla than Joe Biden got running for President."

Anyone who thought Fred Thompson was tough last night got a quick lesson in real red meat tonight.  There are a million and three differences between John McCain and Barack Obama and these men filled us in on many of them.  

Good stuff.  But strictly under-card.

It'll be interesting to see the Nielson ratings tomorrow morning.  Looking at the way the convention played on Tuesday night there was some thought that Palin's speech could be the single most watched convention speech in political history.  I'm doubting it drew as many viewers as Barack Obama's speech last week (after all, she's our VP nominee, he could be the next leader of the free world) but if it even came close...

This speech... the entire moment... was electric.  Positively electric.  

There was plenty of discussion before hand about what sort of content the speech would offer.  The answers earn her a straight A.  Would she talk about the unrelenting sexism of a liberal media?  Nope.  Dignify hate-filled bloggers with a response?  Nope.  Shy away from her experience as mayor of a small town?  Heck no.

Like she said... "Being the mayor of a small town is sort of like being a community organizer.  Except with actual responsibilities."

Sweet local moment when Palin mentioned that she was a "hockey mom."  The Michigan delegation, anticipating the reference, all dressed in Red Wings style convention hockey jerseys (courtesy of Attorney General Mike Cox).  Hearing the phrase from their position almost immediately in front of the podium they burst into a chant of "ho-ckey-mom, ho-ckey-mom!"

Palin paused, smiled, looked at them and went off-prompter.  "Do you know what the difference is between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  Lip stick."

The entire place went up and a message was delivered.  That one, simple, off-the-cuff remark seemed the verbal equivalent of a woman rolling up her sleeves, warming up the back of her hand and cocking it over her head.  The thumping was about to commence.

In the best tradition of VP nomination speeches she spent the bulk of her time talking about her running mate and carving up her opponent... and I'm not talking about Joe Biden.  Listening to Palin light into the Democrats POTUS nominee I walked away with the distinct impression that this is not a fair fight.  Our number two isn't just a match for their number one... she blows him out of the water.

"What it really signified was her strength," said metro Detroit Ed Haroutunian.  "She did it with much skill and much grace... I think truly this is going to be a historic election."

Haroutunian watched the speech live from the Xcel Energy Center and was rarely off his feet during the next Vice President's presentation.  He didn't sit down, either, as Palin was joined on-stage by her entire family.  She gave each a kiss, grabbed a hold of baby Trigg and welcomed, amidst thunderous applause, a surprise guest to the stage.

"For John McCain to come out and join Sarah Palin was just fantastic.  I think that kind of thing shows a tremendous amount of support for the Vice Presidential choice and I'll tell you... what's said many times is that the vice presidential choice is the first decision that any candidate for President of the United States has to make.  And I'll tell you, he has made an outstanding choice."