US pundits welcome 'pit bull' Palin's debut

A “pit bull in lipstick” electrified the Republican Party’s national convention and savaged Barack Obama in a “dynamite debut”, US political pundits said today.

After a week of potentially damaging revelations and intense media scrutiny, Sarah Palin, the little-known first female governor of Alaska, stepped on to the national stage with the aim of showing she was up to the job.

Many US political pundits believe a presidential candidate’s choice of running mate usually has little impact on the race, but the 44-year-old mother-of-five’s speech last night “had much higher stakes than the typical vice-presidential convention speech,” the Wall Street Journal said.

Writing in the paper, Karl Rove, President George Bush’s former deputy chief of staff, said: “Running mates don’t usually matter, but this may be an unusual election.”

He also added that while John McCain’s surprise pick was “by far the more creative and bold”, with just 61 days to the election it may also be “the more dangerous”.

The New York Times editorial declared Mrs Palin was “a combative and witty relief at a torpid convention”.

“But it was bizarre hearing the running mate of a 26-year veteran of Congress, a woman who was picked to placate the right-wing elite, mocking ’the permanent political establishment in Washington’.”

Its front-page story said: “Ms Palin’s appearance electrified a convention that has been consumed by questions of whether she was up to the job, as she launched slashing attacks on Mr Obama’s claims of experience.”

It added that her speech was the “big draw” of a convention which was “transformed from an orderly coronation into a messy, days-long drama since the McCain campaign’s disclosure on Monday that Ms Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant.”

USA Today said convention delegates were “riveted” by Mrs Palin’s prime-time debut and her attacks on Mr Obama were some of the strongest yet.

The New York Daily News declared in its story that “she boasts she can take it - and boy, can she dish it out”.

In its editorial headlined “Palin’s perfect premiere”, it went on: “Seldom has a candidate more jolted a political campaign than Sarah Palin has – simply by joining John McCain’s ticket.

“And last night she made a dynamite debut before a national audience, at once a folksy voice of small town America, a skewering, humorous critic of Barack Obama and an engaging cheerleader for McCain.

“The rush to judgment about all things Palin, including the pregnancy of 17-year-old Bristol, has been more revealing about the state of American political debate than about the candidate who triggered the frenzy.”

Its columnist SE Cupp added: “Alaskan is just like the woman next door” and said “her gritty appeal may sway undecideds”.

The Los Angeles Times said Mrs Palin came out “swinging” and “gleefully” tore into Mr Obama, but its opinion piece was headlined: “Palin: wrong woman, wrong message”.

And the Washington Post said she defined herself “in a lively speech as a change-oriented political outsider”.

One of its opinion pieces declared “Hockey mom scores”, but its editorial was less supportive.

“A strong convention speech alone can’t answer the questions about her readiness,” it read.

It said her speech was “well-delivered, with an appealing combination of charm and bite” but added: “It’s not realistic to view the speech as revealing much about her positions on issues or her capacity to be vice president”.

“The real test will come in the weeks ahead,” it said.

“The country will need to hear much more from Ms Palin before being convinced of the soundness of Mr McCain’s judgment.”