Full Video: Sarah Palin's CSU Stanislaus Speech

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Here's a much higher-quality video of Gov. Palin's CSU Stanislaus speech than what was streamed by Fox40, courtesy of TheRightScoop:



- JP

KTVB Video: Sarah Palin's speech at Vaughn Ward rally in Boise

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Courtesy of Boise television station KTVB:



- JP

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

Sarah Palin speech electrifies Kansas crowd

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Barbara Hollingsworth, who provided a running account of Gov. Palin's speech via Twitter in real time, wrote it up for the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Here's a portion of her report:

Even Palin couldn't ignore the excitement her appearance generated. Back stage, she said, a chamber member told her, " 'Man, this is like a Van Halen concert.' I said, 'Man, I wish.' "

In her speech, Palin sounded off on national security, government bailouts and limited government ideals. And she offered lots of praise for the hometown crowd.

"In a time when folks so fear that much is going wrong, your town is an example of how to get it right and how to soar," said Palin, who was joined in Salina by her daughter, Piper. "Shoot, your state's motto even has it right: to the stars through difficulties."

[...]

Telling the crowd she was going to "call is like I see it," she said Washington, D.C., politicians need to "back off." While Americans have lost jobs and learned to live with less, she charged that government has become more bloated.

"Over the past year, Washington has replaced private irresponsibility with public irresponsibility," she said.

The country, she said, needs health reform "not backroom deals." She suggested measures like allowing insurance purchases across state lines and tort reform.

Also, she said the country needs to pursue "all of the above approach to energy." She said increased drilling for oil must be pursued.

"Drill here and drill now and tap our own plentiful energy supplies," she said.

The Obama administration, she said, has lost its way on foreign policy. She said people wonder if the United States is still a "beacon of hope" for freedom.

"We need a foreign policy that distinguishes America's friends from her enemies and recognizes the true nature of these threats that we are facing," Palin said.

In the end, her speech brought the crowd to its feet.

Read the full C-J story here.

Here are some excerpts from Brent Wistrom's account of Gov. Palin's address for the Wichita Eagle published on Kansas.com:

The former governor of Alaska drew some of the loudest applause at the Bicentennial Center when she criticized law enforcement officials for questioning a suspected Christmas Day airplane bomber for only 50 minutes before reading him Miranda rights.

"We need a commander in chief, not a professor of constitutional law," she said as her words drowned in applause. About 6,000 people filled the arena.

Palin said that investigators should have asked more questions of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before granting him Miranda rights, a right to remain silent and contact a lawyer.

"Treating this threat as a mere law enforcement matter places our country at a grave risk," she said.

That resonated with several people after the nearly 40-minute speech ended.

"I think my new motto is 'America is ailin', we need Palin,' " said Wayne Burke, a minister from Arkansas City.

As he left, he said: "It fired me up."

Salina.com also posted a brief preview here of Michael Strand's story for the Saturday edition of the Salina Journal.

- JP

GretaWire: Transcript of Sarah Palin's Gridiron Speech

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Thanks to an e-mailer she didn't name, Greta Van Susteren has posted the text of the speech Governor Palin delivered Saturday night at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, DC on her GretaWire blog. The mysterious e-mailer was, says Greta, in the audience, so here are some excerpts:

Good evening. It’s great to be in Washington and I am loving the weather. I braved the elements and went out for a jog! Or, as Newsweek calls it, a cover-shoot. It’s a privilege to be here tonight at the Washington DC Barnes & Noble. Tonight, I'll be reading excerpts from my new book. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Going Rogue... Wasn’t sure if I’d go with that title, and somebody suggested I follow the East Coast self-help trend and go with, “How To Look Like A Million Bucks…For Only 150 Grand.”

[...]

Well, sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. When you don’t, you end up in places like this. Who would have guessed that I’d be palling around with this group? At least now I can put a face to all the newspapers I read. It is good to be here and in front of this audience of leading journalists and intellectuals. Or, as I call it, a death panel. To be honest, I had some serious reservations about coming to visit your cozy little club. The Gridiron still hasn’t offered membership to anyone from my hometown paper in Wasilla, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley Frontiersman. And my dad thought it was just a plain bad idea to leave the book tour for some football game. He might have a point!

I’ve been touring this great, great land of ours over the last few weeks. I have to say, the view is much better from inside the bus, than under it! But really, I am thrilled to be with you. And I’d like to thank the Gridiron for the invitation and Dick Cooper for his introduction. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, this has to be the most extraordinary collection of people who have gathered to viciously attack me since the last corporate gathering at CBS.

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That Democrat speaker I referred to is, of course, the one-and-only Barney Frank. And I’m the controversial one? Barney, the nation owes you and the government a debt. A huge, historic, unbelievable debt. But, it’s good to be here with you, Mr. Chairman. Because by Chairman, I don’t just mean the House Financial Services Committee. As far as I can tell, Barney’s also the Chair of AIG, CITI, and the Bank of America. I don’t want to say that the U.S. Government is taking over the role of the private sector, but I have to admit, on the flight here, thumbing through a magazine and looking at a photo of President Obama with the President of China, the person next to me pointed at it and said, “Hu’s a communist.” I thought they were asking a question.

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Speaking of books… Did I mention mine? Going Rogue... Makes a great stocking stuffer. Available now at a bookstore near you. Hey, I have to pay for my campaign vetting bill somehow.

Really, the response has been great. So I’ll close by reading a final passage. Page 403: I’ve been asked a lot lately, “Where are you going next?’ Good question! Wherever I go I know that, as with anyone in the public eye, I’ll continue to have my share of disagreements with those in the media. Maybe even more than my share. It will come as no surprise that I don’t think I was always treated fairly, or equally. But despite that, I respect the media very much. It’s important. A free press allows for vigorous debate! And that debate is absolutely vital for our democracy.

So as hard as it can sometimes be, we must all look past personal grievances. We must move beyond petty politics. And we must allow these incredibly talented and hard-working women and men to ask the hard questions and hold us, and our government, accountable. Because their mission is as true as the sun rising over the Talkeetna nd Susitna Mountains. Okay – so none of that is actually in the book. Not a word. But I do believe it!

And I believe we live in a beautiful country blessed with so many different people who want the best for their children, families and for our great nation. I’m so proud to be an American. And that is what I’ll be talking about when I travel to, really where I’m headed. No better place than here to announce where I’m going. I’m going to Iowa! I’ll be there tomorrow from noon to 3:00 pm at the Barnes & Noble on Sergeant Road in Sioux City. Come early. Long lines are expected.

Thank you everyone. God Bless the U.S.A!

We noticed that Gov. Palin's quip about being able to see the Russian Embassy and the one asking that her parents, who were in the audience, not be treated like the Salahis are not in the transcript. Either they were lost in the transcription process or they were ad libbed. Anyway, read the "full" transcript here.

Update: Comment from Dan Riehl:

"The attendees at the DC dinner numbered twice what they usually do? Pretty impressive for someone we are always told is insignificant."

- JP

Palin speech brings Wisconsin RTL crowd to its feet

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel purchased a ticket so its reporter Bill Glauber could cover what he called Sarah Palin's "personal and passionate" speech an audience of thousands attending a Wisconsin right To Life event Friday night. Here are some excerpts from his report:

The address began with Palin asking for a moment of silence to remember those killed in Thursday's shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas.

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"We were told to sit down and shut up," Palin said. "Wisconsin, you went rogue."

[...]

She used President Barack Obama's mantra of change to make her political points.

"Let's talk about change we can believe in," Palin said. "Friends, a majority of Americans identify as pro life, and thank God for that."

She called health care reform a "government takeover" and called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to at least allow a congressional vote to prohibit federally sponsored health insurance plans to pay for abortions.

"I feel real change is just up ahead," she said. "Wisconsin, we need to ramp it up."

She brought the crowd to its feet with a simple closing line: "Don't let anyone ever tell you to sit down and shut up."

Update: After action reports from bloggers K. Carpenter at C4P and uffda at God, Guts, & Sarah Palin.

- JP

More excerpts from Sarah Palin's Hong Kong speech

Via the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog, we posted some excerpts earlier from former Governor Sarah Palin's address to investors in Hong Kong. The Intro2u Blog posted some more excerpts also, these from the opening stanzas of the speech. Here are a couple of those excerpts:

“Alaska exported more than $700 million of goods, $700 million in goods to china during my first year in office, and that increased again in 2008. Minerals and seafood, and second only to Japan. No doubt some of the fruits of our labor, even mine and Todd’s, ended up here on dinner tables because we commercial fish in Bristol Bay. And either as whole Salmon or caviar, commercial fishing is really tough business. And in tough conditions, we even used to laugh about this, thinking that we’re putting together such delicacies for the other side of the world, is how we referred to it. Over 70% of our exports came from wild organic fresh Alaska seafood, and our potential for more is massive because Alaska has the world’s richest seafood industry. We have the world’s most abundant salmon spawning grounds right there in Bristol Bay.

“We have much in common with Hong Kong. We’re both young and transient, independent and libertarian. Places that continue to show the world, the power and the resilience of the free market system at a time when too many are questioning it. So for Alaska, which is the air crossroads of the world, to this prosperous dynamic force in the world, Hong Kong, I bring good tidings, wishes for more blessing and vibrant life and even more freedom.”

Sarah Palin has also posted from excerpts from her address on Facebook. Here are a few of those excerpts:

Our allies and our adversaries are watching to see if we have the staying power to protect our interests in Afghanistan. That is why I recently joined a group of Americans in urging President Obama to devote the resources necessary in Afghanistan and pledged to support him if he made the right decision.

That is why, even during this time of financial distress we need to maintain a strong defense. All government spending should undergo serious scrutiny. No programs or agencies should be automatically immune from cuts.

We need to go back to fiscal discipline and unfortunately that has not been the view of the current Administration. They’re spending everywhere and with disregard for deficits and debts and our future economic competitiveness. Though we are engaged in two wars and face a diverse array of threats, it is the defense budget that has seen significant program cuts and has actually been reduced from current levels!

First, the Defense Department received only ½ of 1 % of the nearly trillion dollar Stimulus Package funding – even though many military projects fit the definition of “shovel-ready.” In this Administration’s first defense budget request for 2010, important programs were reduced or cancelled. As the threat of ballistic missiles from countries like North Korea and Iran grow, missile defense was slashed.

Despite the need to move men and material by air into theaters like Afghanistan, the Obama Administration sought to end production of our C-17s, the work horse of our ability to project long range power. Despite the Air Force saying it would increase future risk, the Obama Administration successfully sought to end F-22 production – at a time when both Russia and China are acquiring large numbers of next generation fighter aircraft. It strikes me as odd that Defense Secretary Gates is the only member of the Cabinet to be tasked with tightening his belt.

Now in the region I want to emphasize today: The reason I speak about defense is because our strong defense posture in Asia has helped keep the region safe and allowed it to prosper. Our Asian allies get nervous if they think we are weakening our security commitments. I worry about defense cuts not because I expect war but because I so badly want peace. And the region has enjoyed peace for so long because of our security commitment to our longstanding allies and partners.

Asia has been one of the world’s great success stories. It is a region where America needs to assist with right mix of hard and soft power. While I have so much hope for a bright future in Asia, in a region this dynamic, we must always be prepared for other contingencies. We must work at this – work with our allies to ensure the region’s continued peace and prosperity.

From the three sources we have linked to, it is possible to put together a considerable portion of former Governor Palin's speech.

- JP

Will Sarah Palin Punk the Living Borat out of the CLSA?

Hong Kong Broker Pulling A "Borat" On Sarah Palin

I am going to make this one thread short and sweet...

What I want to know is if Sarah Palin will punk the living Borat out of the CLSA for lousy investment practices....

HONG KONG (AP) — A former banker at one of Asia's top stock brokerages and an ex-fund manager have been jailed in Hong Kong for insider trading that reaped illegal profits of more than half a million dollars, regulators said. Allen Lam, former investment banking director at broker CLSA, was sentenced Monday to six months in prison and ordered to pay fines of $69,000 Hong Kong dollars ($9,000), the territory's Securities and Futures Commission said in a statement. His friend Ryan Fong, a former fund manager at HSZ (Hong Kong) Ltd., received a one-year jail term and was fined nearly ....

To be continued for sure...

- Tom

Fox News: Sarah Palin's Asian speech confirmed

Way down near the bottom of a Fox News story apparently meant to slam Sarah Palin for turning down an invitation to attend the National Federation of Republican Women's 35th Convention, we find this interesting bit of information:

"While Palin will not be going to Florida, she will be delivering a keynote speech in Hong Kong, China later this month, according to her spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton."

Talk about burying the lede!

So Monday's AP news item is now confirmed, and our decision to report it is supported -- not that we needed vindication, but we did receive some criticism for posting that AP was reporting it. Also, Riehl's 24 hour rule holds up, and Dan should rest assured that Sarah Palin does indeed have the people around her to be successful.

As for the Fox story, we wonder what part of  "Sarah Palin is writing her book and won't attend any events until it is finished" the legacy media fail to understand. Despite FNC's misleading headline, former Governor Palin didn't "snub" anyone. We have to ask who was asleep at the Fox newsroom printer when the following AP story was sent down the wire Monday:

The father of Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and vice presidential nominee, says his daughter has been steering clear of the media spotlight in recent weeks to focus on writing her memoirs.

Chuck Heath, in Idaho campaigning for a Republican congressional candidate last week, says Palin has been away from her Alaska home for more than a month but is in touch frequently with him.

The AP story preceded Fox's Monday piece by a full seven hours at the very least.

Update: ADN's Sean Cockerham at least got right to the point in the Alaska Politics blog, but as per McClatchy practice had to include this bit of snark:

But, given recent history, it seemed prudent to make sure Palin was actually on board.

Ironically, in Cockerham's next paragraph, he had to report on what will put an end to the "they said, she said" media narrative that the likes of ADN has so relished reporting:

Stapleton also confirmed reports that Palin has signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau to handle her paid speaking engagements.

Update: Fox News has changed the headline of their story from "Palin Snubs Republican Women's Convention" to "Palin to Speak at Hong Kong Investors Conference." Heh...

- JP

C-SPAN to replay Gov. Palin's RTL speech Sunday

Wan't to watch and listen to Gov. Sarah Palin's remarks to the Vandeburgh County, IN Right To Life banquet again on your wide screen? C-SPAN will replay the speech, originally delivered Thursday evening, two times this weekend. The public service channel has it scheduled for 5:30 P.M. and 8:30 P.M. CST.

C-SPAN also has the video of the address posted on its website for viewing on your monitor, and it will even send DVDs of the Palin speech (for a fee, of course) to those who aren't into burning their own discs.

- JP

Some of the week's blogging on Sarah Palin

Reaction to the governor's speech and more...

Draft Sarah Palin, unhappy with Gov. Bobby Jindal for saying that Dick Cheney should stop criticizing President Obama, concludes that Gov. Sarah Palin "is the spokesperson for the Republican Party."

The Brickyard liked last night's speech and the governor's delivery of it: "If this Sarah continues to show up, we are well on our way to eliminating the negativity of the campaign - and charging toward a Palin presidency."

Let's Get It Right posted Gov. Palin's press release on some recent board appointments. One appointee, Nicholas Henderson to the Alaska Community Services Commission, is a Iraq War vet. It's no surprise that the governor walks the walk on hiring our Iraq and Afganistan veterans , but she deserves kudos for it nevertheless.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Accomplishments has commentary on last night's speech by Sarah Palin, judging the address as "one of the Governor's most beautiful speeches."

HolyCoast.com sums the speech up succinctly, "She walked the walk."

RunSarah2012 says, "It never ceases to amaze me that the Sarah Palin take down effort can always sink to newer depths of slime and vitriol."

Axis of Right on the speech: "Palin’s comments are both beautifully profound and genuine. Her words share a deeply personal experience with the rest of us in the hope of illustrating the value of all human life in all its stages."

Sarah Palin Blog found the speech to be "everything I had hoped it would be."

conservatism for a millennial notes that A. B. Culvahouse, who led the team that vetted Gov. Palin for Team McCain has also served as a counsel to Ronald Reagan, and wonders, " Could he perhaps be seeing the past repeat itself?"

theblogprof observes that the governor's speech was "Much more alive that Obama's have been." He adds, "And then there's the best part. The part that separates her from BHO. No teleprompter!"

DraftPalin2012, in a post on why some conservatives dislike Sarah Palin, opines, "FOX really loves the dour Mark Sanford, who has no chance of being elected to anything outside of SC."

Why Mommy is a Republican very kindly and graciously calls my post on Gov. Palin's speech (cross-posted at RedState.com) "an insightful report." Aw shucks, Ma'am...

Sarah Palin Report has some photos posted of Sarah Palin at this morning's S.M.I.L.E. breakfast.

Be John Galt remarks that the governor still packs them in. "Despite the unending media attacks, she still has star power with conservatives."

Sarah Palin Tundra notes how Gov. Palin was mobbed by fans on the way inside to attend the RLL dinner and quotes RNC Chairman Michael Steele, "I think she is a standard-bearer right now."

Wizbang weighs in with, "Keep an eye on Sarah Palin because I believe she will continue to have a place in our national politics, and that will be a benefit to our country."

- JP

Alaska's conservative young gun reloads in Indiana

It's been tough in Alaska for Gov. Sarah Palin the past few days. She's been embroiled in a tug of war with the legislature over a replacement to fill the unexpired term of a state Senator who resigned to go to work for the Obama administration. The lawmakers appear certain to restore millions of dollars of the federal porkulus funds she had turned down, and they rejected her nominee for Alaska attorney general just yesterday. The legislature even voted down her selection for a seat on the state's Board of Fisheries by a vote of 42 to 16.

That's just some of the fallout the governor has had to deal with from her unforgivable sin of accepting her party's nomination for the vice presidency and campaigning on behalf of Obama's Republican opponent in the presidential race. Old bipartisan alliances between Sarah Palin and the Democrats in her legislature have been dissolved. Longstanding tensions between her and some elements in her own party in Alaska remain.

Meanwhile, the media and her other political opponents have tried to make much hay over her family and would-be family matters, playing up the recent television appearances by her daughter's former fiance, his mother's arrest on drug charges and her sister-in-law's arrest for breaking into a house that wasn't hers. The rats have been quiet as a mouse, however, about the president's brother-in-law and his troubles with British authorities stemming from his arrest for sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl there. Some crimes are more heinous than others. Better for your media image to be a sexual predator named Obama than a cat burglar named Palin.

But last night, all of that dissonant noise faded away as Sarah Palin stepped up to a podium in Indiana to speak at a right to life banquet. Tickets for the event quickly sold out, and its organizers had to arrange a closed-circuit narrowcast at a nearby auditorium and rush to print more tickets. The result was a crowd of 3,000 (for an event which typically draws much smaller audiences) and a need for local authorities to block off nearby streets with barricades.

Palin was greeted by fans seeking her autograph and photograph as she tried to make her way into the event, and inside there were people actually standing on tables to get a better chance to see her. She was introduced by RNC chairman Michael Steele, who himself delivered a passionate life-affirming address. In his words of introduction, Steele reminisced about an appearance he made on Fox News just before John McCain announced his running mate. There was much speculation at the time about who the Senator would name the next day. When asked whom he believed McCain would choose, Steele said that it would be Pawlenty or Palin. Then the chairman raised more than few eyebrows in the room when he added, "I think it's going to be Palin. Now I wasn't sure, but I sure was hoping."

The governor took a poke at Alaska's legislature early on in her speech (video here), as she quipped:

"They condemn anything that I do, but especially traveling outside the state to speak in another state at a function like this. Which is ironic, because these are the same critics who would love to see me outside the state forever, permanently, you know, outside the governor's office anyway. But they had heartburn about me leaving."

From there, Gov. Palin launched into a sales pitch for Alaska, and she rattled off a list of facts about her state, which she used to setup a punchline:

"Now if I'm wrong on any of that trivia, I don't want Katie Couric calling me and telling me I did something wrong. You call Mr. Heath in Wasilla, AK. I'll give you the phone number, and you can correct my dad."

In her far-ranging address, she touched on several issues which she used to criticize the Obama administration. She seized on the issue of energy security, a familiar one for her, and touted Alaska's abundant oil and gas deposits as a big part of a domestic solution to U.S. dependence on foreign oil. That petroleum, she said, comes from countries which don't have America's best interests in mind. She mentioned North Korea as a threat and named Alaska's missile defense system as a way to counter it, voicing her hope that "the feds" do not cut the program. Then she had harsh words for the Democrat's federal stimulus, which she explained, forces local government to grow bigger:

"This isn't free money folks. Our nation is $11 trillion in debt. This is borrowed money. We're borrowing money from China, and we may someday find ourselves enslaved to countries that hold our notes."

But the governor's strongest slap at the president was saved for the issue which drew her to the event. She said that those who support abortion had turned their backs on the very principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that the founders cited as unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence:

"So whether it's a child not yet born, or a newborn in a single parent's arms, or an elder with Alzheimer's, or a brave or a scared young soldier willing to offer the supreme sacrifice to protect all of our lives, innocent life is to be cherished and protected. And may our culture embrace that. The culture of life affects every aspect of our lives and society. And we must stand on the life-honoring foundation of our republic, and we must speak out against actions that erode that foundation. Don't be afraid to speak out. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion when you see our president, through policy changes, want to erode part of that foundation. And by the way, I'm just a governor, but I don't believe that it's above my pay grade to rally you to speak up."

Near the end of her speech, Gov. Palin became emotional when she talked about her son Trig and the apprehension she felt before his birth, knowing that he had Down's Syndrome. It was faith, she said, that gave her the strength to carry her youngest son to term.

As is to be expect from a crowd of pro-life activists, Sarah Palin's speech was warmly and enthusiastically received. But a media which has been very critical of her was forced to admit that it was a powerful one and well-delivered. Politico headlined its report "Out of Alaska, Palin's star shines" and said that the governor "reminded Republicans why she remains a party heavyweight and a top prospective presidential candidate in 2012." Even AP's coverage, with the headline "Palin Takes Obama to Task for Stance on Abortion," seemed to frame the story in terms of a potential future match between the governor and the president:

"Some in the crowd wore white 'Palin 2012' T-shirts, hoping she will be the Republican presidential candidate in 2012."

Whatever her political plans, Gov. Palin tried to stay close to home and keep a low profile outside of Alaska during the legislative session to head off criticism from her local political opponents. she now seems to realize that despite the effort, they were going to criticize her, in the strongest possible terms, regardless. Now, the gloves have come off, and she's going to weigh in on national issues, just as other leading GOP governors have been doing. She's also very likely to be making more trips to the lower 48 for appearances which will be carefully selected to enhance her stature as a national political figure.

Many on the left end of the spectrum that is the internet have pronounced Sarah Palin politically dead or dying because of a contemptuous Alaska legislature, exploitation of her family by snarky celebrity tabloids and biased media reporting. But the governor's opponents may soon be reminded that this mama bear still has sharp teeth and claws, and her nature is not to back down from a fight. She told the crowd early on in her speech last night that she was going to restart her engine. The 36-hour vacation and friendly crowds she's enjoying in Indiana seem to be providing it with plenty of fuel.

- JP

Cross-posted at RedState.com

CNN: Palin draws sellout crowd in Indiana

From CNN's Political Ticker blog:

In her first speech outside Alaska this year, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin praised her state, criticized the president's economic recovery plan and talked at length about her anti-abortion views.

But she didn't touch on what a lot of people wanted to know: Will she run for president in 2012?

Palin's appearance before the sold-out Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Indiana, brought in nationwide media and forced organizers to open up an overflow area for attendees.

Speaking of the Democrats in the Alaska legislature, the governor quipped:

"They condemn anything that I do, but especially traveling outside the state to speak in another state at a function like this. Which is ironic, because these are the same critics who would love to see me outside the state forever, permanently, you know, outside the governor's office anyway."

In a far-ranging speech, Gov. Palin had harsh words for the Obama economic stimulus package:

"This isn't free money folks. Our nation is $11 trillion in debt. This is borrowed money. We're borrowing money from China, and we may someday find ourselves enslaved to countries that hold our notes."

But the lion's share of her speech was devoted to the pro-life cause, and Palin became emotional when she talked about her son Trig and the apprehension she felt before his birth, knowing that he had Down's Syndrome:

"I had to call upon my faith and ask that my heart be filled up and I will tell you, the moment he was born, I knew for sure that my prayer was answered and my heart overflowed with joy."

Gov. Palin's other scheduled event in Evansville is a breakfast this morning with members of S.M.I.L.E., an organization which supports relatives of those with Down's.

- JP