Conservatives and Republicans across the country were worried last night about whether Sarah Palin would be able to live up to the hype and the high expectations placed upon her by her nomination as McCain’s VP.  By the time Palin stepped away from the podium, though, this concern was laid to rest with absolute certainty.

Last night’s convention featured all 3 of the major challengers to McCain from the primaries—Romney, Giuliani, and Huckabee.  Together they formed a formidable offensive line, and demonstrated a degree of unity behind McCain and Palin that is quite simply unimaginable among the bitter and bickering former Democratic candidates.  They set the tone for the evening, relentlessly attacking Obama’s astonishing lack of qualifications and lack of any discernable accomplishments.  There were many great points and funny zingers, but in my opinion the best line was delivered by Giuliani, who observed that in making their choices for VP, McCain looked forward to the future, while Obama looked back to the past.

With three such powerhouses as opening acts, Palin had a lot to live up to.  And to the delight of the assembled delegates, she not only held her own, but knocked the ball clear out of the park.  She delivered her speech with remarkable poise and dignity, and almost perfect timing.  You would never have known it was her first speech before a national audience.  This morning the hardcore left, including much of the media, are absolutely seething with anger towards Palin, grasping desperately at anything they can think of to try to discredit her and her speech and her whole viability as a candidate, a mother, and a politician.

Why is this?  Why do the media hate her so much?  Doesn’t Palin embody everything that 40 years of the “womens’ movement” was supposed to represent?  She’s a strong, determined, self-sufficient woman who has successfully balanced a strong family life with a successful career.  She’s proven a woman can do everything a man can do and still be a loving wife and mother.  And now she stands at the brink of accomplishing what even Hillary Clinton has not been able to accomplish after nearly 30 years in the political mud pits.  Why is she such a pariah to those who claim to stand so strongly for the advancement of women?

Quite simply stated, it is precisely because she represents all the things those on the left claim to represent.  The Democrats hate her because she’s accomplished those things without being a liberal, stealing “their” issue and Hillary’s thunder without any big party political backing at all.  The media hates her because she’s been successful without their fawning anointment.  “Womens rights” activists hate her because she’s not a liberal, she’s pro-life, and she’s showing America’s girls and young women that they can be successful without being a cold-hearted androgyne, a lesbian, or a raging slut.  She’s a revival of all the things womens’ rights used to stand for, and of all the things today’s liberals and womens’ advocates have worked so hard to suppress in women.  Well, their iron-fisted ownership of how women are to be defined and which women are allowed to rise to the top just might be blown right off the map this election season, because hurricane Sarah just blew into town—and she’s bringing lots of fresh air and clear skies in her wake.

Jeff in Chandler