What's the Difference Between a Hockey Mom and a Pitbull?

"Lipstick."

Not that it was going to be a tough decision anyway - I would vote for a sea monkey before Barack Obama - but after watching Sara Palin's speech tonight at the Republican National Convention, my vote for the McCain/Palin team is pretty much set in stone.

While Obama sure can give a speech (when he's got a teleprompter handy), Palin impressed me in another way. She possesses the ability to speak to the country as if she were speaking to longtime friends, rather than down to us. Dotted with quips and jokes, nothing in her speech felt contrived or forced, and she's got the sort of smile that you see, and just can't help smiling back.

Of course, these aren't the only reasons she won me over. On the first day of my political science class, I wrote on my introduction paper that I thought our biggest political challenge is our country's dependence on foreign oil. Both Obama and Palin agree we need to sever our dependence and fend for ourselves. Unlike Obama, Palin actually laid out her plan for doing so.

And it was nice to see her family. Her youngest daughter, Piper, was holding her 5-month old little brother, Trig, throughout much of the speech. At one point when the camera was on her, she was combing over his hair with her hands. Totally oblivious, she licks the entire length of her hand to better glue it down. You can't tell a kid to do that, and it was a completely genuine moment between two totally normal siblings.

And for those people who quickly jab at her lack of international experience ('cuz what? Obama has all kinds of international experience....), I believe Sara Palin proved tonight that she isn't one to mess with.

"Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country," she said. As for Obama, she didn't hesitate to call him a tax-raising, terrorist-coddling, self-indulgent liberal. And people cheered. I shake in my boots everytime I enter my liberally-biased government class (and political science class, and history class, and math class, and are you seeing the pattern here?) I would have loved to be in the crowd in that cheering stadium.

Chuck Gast, a delegate from Maryland said, "For too many times, we've brought knives to gun fights. " When asked if Palin brought a gun, he replied, "Yes, I think she brings a big gun, like a moose gun."

Nope, you don't want to mess with Sara Palin. Hope you were listening Barack.