Calgary Herald: Calgary crowd receptive to Palin

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The Calgary Herald, repeating a mistake made in the introduction given for Sarah Palin, misreported that her speech tonight in Alberta's largest city was "her first public appearance outside the United States since stepping down as governor of Alaska," but it wasn't. The first woman to be the Republican Party's candidate for vice president spoke in Hong Kong late last September almost a month after resigning her office.

Gov. Palin nevertheless was in the heartland of Canada's oil and gas industry, and her message of lower taxes, free markets and energy development was delivered to a receptive crowd:

While the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate's speech in Calgary dealt in part with her push for more domestic energy development, her doubts over climate change science and her view that environmental issues needed to be balanced by economic progress, Palin's talk was also interspersed with jokes that drew laughs from a packed house.

She noted that soon into her run on John McCain's presidential ticket that her patience wore thin with the "mainstream media." She noted a reporter said Palin had a bit of a Canadian accent. Palin said she responded, "So."

"That interview didn't go very well," Palin told Saturday's crowd of more than 1,000. "Not many of them did."

But the former vice presidential candidate's remarks on energy and the environment were the real red meat for the Calgary audience. She repeated one of her familiar 2008 campaign themes that oil, natural gas and clean coal must continue to be developed along with renewables for an "all-of-the-above approach":

Her concern, she said, is waiting for unfriendly regimes to develop their resources. Relying on those puts the United States in a less safe and less prosperous position, she said.

"We've got the become more energy independent," she said.

Gov. Palin also mentioned the Climategate scandal, remarking that it made "settled science feel a little unsettled." She warned that cap-and-trade legislation intended to reduce greenhouse gases would actually result in job losses and higher taxes.

After her address, the governor participated in a question-and-answer session with Senator Pamela Wallin, a member of Canada's Conservative Party.

More coverage from the Calgary Sun, the Canadian Press and CTV.

- JP