Did Sarah Palin win it?

Before I watch the talking heads spin her speech into an unrecognizable mess, I am stricken by two things: her bold and zesty attacks against Democrats (I heard the audience bellow a surprised "Oooh," as in "Oooh, no she didn't!" at least three times) and her unwaivering support for McCain.

Although both of these things were expected, few expected her to do it so well. Further, the incredible volume of strange oversights in her selection process (she met McCain only twice, the "Troopergate" scandal, belonging to a fringe Alaskan-Separatist group, her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy) was seemingly dwarfed tonight by uproarious applause from the Republican faithful. It is doubtful that even Republican insiders expected so much out of a "hockey mom" with a rather annoying voice.

So, why did she seem to do so well?

The main reason has nothing to do with her.McCain had so many people who were lined up on his "short list", it was hardly short at all. McCain was tracking women, a diverse group of current and former governors, pro-choice Senate veterans, business leaders, and any combination therein. In a word, he needed one thing: change.

In a broader context-- whether McCain/Palin is victorious or not-- the fact that the Republican vice presidential pick is the exact opposite of current and recent Republican leadership shows a broad and unanimous desire from the American people for "change" (a word I've counted used no less than 25 times in my casual viewing of the convention).

And we all know who the first man was to promise change this year... Let's hope the American people remember that.