"Inspire with Deeds"

OK, so I shouldn't have said that before..."afraid to say it."

Honestly, I'm happy to see it. Sarah Palin is the first speaker at the RNC that I've actually seen bring any real emotion to the the stage and to the people attending this convention.

If I may contradict myself in a previous post, about coming this far, seeing Sarah Palin up speak on the political stage, as something other than a First Lady, is absolutely and wonderfully empowering for women.

She was smart and humorous, sarcastically insulting without being rash and strong without being prideful.

She had a strong presentation that seemed to be well received by all; meaning this could be the beginning of an enthusiastic and very active, new Republican Party. With the (arguably purposeful) distance between President George Bush and Republican candidate John McCain, Sarah Palin has now set the tone for "change" within the Republican Party.

Now...don't get me wrong, I still have problem with the fact that McCain has only met his VP running mate once.

Sure, he's followed her career, which includes PLENTY of EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE (4:55 in the clip - hilarious). But where's the justification? When Sarah Palin said:

"In politics, there are some candidates who use "change" to promote their careers; there are others, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change ... for a season, a candidate can inspire with words. For a lifetime, McCain has inspired with his deeds."

I hope to see Palin bring more of her "deeds" to the table -- more of her qualifications. As a member of the media, I reject the personal attacks on Palin. It is my believe, as also stated in a previous post, that we should be able to debate the issues without "challenging each other's character and patriotism."

Overall -- great speech for Sarah Palin -- impressive, inspiring and powerful. It may just be what the Republican Party needs. Her speech lacked a little in substance -- but think about it. Had she started ranting on about foreign policy and other issues she has yet to deal with, there's obviously room for error and criticism.

However, that doesn't mean that now isn't the time to start forming ideas, plans and solutions.

Tomorrow night, when John McCain comes forward to speak, I believe that while his story is familiar to everyone, his ideas and his personality may not be. He needs to connect with the American people on a personal and inspirationally-honest level.