Tonight was zero-hour for Sarah Palin. After her groundbreaking and base-enthusing pick as VP last week, Palin has suffered the worst attacks the Left and their friends in the media could bring against her. Tonight was her opportunity to stand before the American people and show her mettle. Would she wilt in the face of severe criticism, or would she stand and deliver?

After some real stem-winding addresses by Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudolph Giuliani, and the impressive governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, Sarah Palin walked to the microphone and knocked it out of the park. She spoke with eloquence and determination. You could see the fire in her eyes as she smiled, spoke about substance, and gave back as good as she takes. The Churchill quote, modified for this scenario, “I like a [woman] who grins when [she] fights,” comes to mind. She is able to be forceful and direct without being shrew-like. She’s about half a tick from being – and there is no other word to use here – a smart@ss, and it looks good on her. The WynnBlog analysis: Joe Biden better hang on to his hair plugs because the barracuda is in the arena. 

In other news, Michael Bates was unable to provide a report tonight due to his schedule. We will try to catch up with him again soon. 

And, below is an audio clip of Oklahoma Sentaor Jim Inhofe attempting to cast Oklahoma’s votes. Notice he never stated how many votes Oklahoma was casting for McCain. Check Batesline for more information on this soon. 

WynnBlog MP3: Jim Inhofe Attempts to Cast Oklahoma’s Votes – RNC 2008

Can we really call these folks winners? (Data from RealClearPolitics.com).

McCain won with a majority in only three (3) states: NY (51%), NJ (56%), and CT (52%). In states where McCain won with a plurality:

• California: 56% voted otherwise.
• Illinois: 52% voted otherwise.
• Missouri: 67% voted otherwise.
• Arizona (his home state!): 53% voted otherwise.
• Oklahoma: 63% voted otherwise.
• Delaware: 55% voted otherwise.

Huckabee won with a majority in two (2) states: AR (62%) and WV (52%). In states where Huck won with a plurality:

• Georgia: 66% voted otherwise.
• Tennessee: 66% voted otherwise.
• Alabama: 59% voted otherwise.

Romney won with a majority in three (3) states: MA (51%), UT (89%), and CO (60%). In states where Romney won with a plurality:

• Minnesota: 58% voted otherwise.
• North Dakota: 64% voted otherwise.
• Montana: 62% voted otherwise.

And, as predicted, Ron Paul won nothing nowhere. Sorry, folks. He did best in MN (15%), ND (21%),  and MT (25%).

This little post again demonstrates the need for Instant Runoff Voting, which I learned about from Michael Bates. He discussed it recently in this post.

If you’re like me (and, hey, who isn’t, right?) then you are a Republican woefully disappointed in the choices you face on this year’s presidential ballot. Though no remaining candidate inspires much support from me, one man does stir up great negatives. I am, of course, talking about John McCain. This man has worked in opposition to true conservatives so often and so diligently that I cannot even consider voting for him. My fear, though, is that he will ride his “Big Mo” into a final victory on Super Tuesday (what Human Events is now calling Tsunami Tuesday). When we are faced with the choices we currently have, one must think about voting strategically. Enter Michael Bates.

Michael has done such a great job at explaining the situation that I will not add one thing. Please, go read his analysis and vote accordingly. (He also touches again on Instant Run-Off Voting, which I fully support).

PS: I received this call from McCain today. Can you say, “pander”? It made me throw up in my mouth a little.

Watch this.

The smirk on his face while Romney exposes him as a liar (plus repeating the lie over and over again) is enough to make me choose otherwise.