Gov. Palin speaks at Tribute to the Troops rally (Updated w/ clip)

"We can lead by example..." as "the world’s abiding beacon of freedom"
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Sarah Palin spoke at the "Tribute to the Troops" rally at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood Monday evening:

Palin took the stage and thanked the members of the crowd for their service.

“Freedom is not free but a God given right” said Palin. “I thank you for being part of the solution.”

She then addressed the death of Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US forces.

“One of the evil leaders of the Islamic extremists..has met justice at the hands of America’s finest.” She said. “We thank our president, we thank President Bush for having made the right calls to set up this victory .”

Gov. Palin told the crowd that the United States cannot and should not try to be the world's policeman, nor can it afford to be its ATM:

"But we can lead by example. By our words and, when necessary, by our actions, we must remain the world’s abiding beacon of freedom."

She laid out five conditions for the U.S. to commit its troops to military action: a clear and vital national interest must be at stake; if we fight, we must use overwhelming force and fight to win; the goals of the mission must be clearly defined; U.S. troops must not be subject to foreign command; and armed force should only be used as a last resort.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate cited the mission which resulted in the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden as an example of proper use of American force, and she praised both President Obama for "decisive leadership" and former President George W. Bush for "having made the right calls to set up this victory."

Her biggest applause line of the evening, one familiar to Palin supporters, was that a fundamental transformation of America is not needed; what is needed is to restore America to the principles which guided the nation's founders.

The fundraiser for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) drew an overflow crowd of about 1,200, according to ABC News.

Palin TV has video of the speech here. The Denver Post has a photo gallery of stills from the rally here. AP photos from the event can be found here, and AP's story is here.

- JP