HOMERUN!

Palins speech was better than even I expected, it was bordering on perfection. Even the liberal hit pieces out this morning must acknowledge how good it truly was.

Now just keep up with the smears and we'll pick up 100,000 votes a day.

That was easy. Sarah Palin delivered what may have been the most important speech ever by a vice presidential candidate and made it look like she'd been performing on the national political stage for years. And she made John McCain look good for having picked her as his running mate.

Yet, as governor of Alaska, Palin had never addressed as large a crowd as she did last night at the Republican convention. She'd never before given a nationally televised speech in prime time. And she'd never had to deal with a situation filled with such political peril for her, McCain, and the Republican party.

So how in the world could this 44-year-old woman with no national political experience handle the whole thing with poise and composure and seeming effortlessness? Simple. She's a natural, gifted with the ability to connect with people in a way that few politicians can and to perform under extreme pressure. She has star quality.

Political figures like this don't come along very often. And heaven knows Republicans haven't seen anyone like Palin emerge from their ranks since Ronald Reagan first attracted national attention in 1964. That's a long time to wait. They've been starved for a leader with charisma and a knack for leadership. Now they have one.

Update: Most of you recall last month I recommended a course of action for McCain to take when selecting his VP: [Memo to McCain: Palin or Romney, that is all.] Well, I was wrong, I should have recommended only one choice and thank goodness John McCain knew the correct one.

And are "wet pants" friends at Powerline seem to have seen the light.

Feisty, funny, fierce and the future.