Time preview: “A relatively short, plainspoken address in the voice of an ordinary working mom”; Update: Working ’round the clock

For what it’s worth, since so many people are posting speech wishlists today.

Palin has been sequestered for days with former Bush Administration speechwriter Matthew Scully, among other wordsmiths, wonks and speech coaches, boning up on policy and crafting her text. She is said to be keenly aware, as one leading Republican noted, that an untested candidate, dropped into the last weeks of a close race, can sink a campaign in a few disastrous sentences.

One knowledgeable source told TIME that Palin plans to deliver a relatively short, plainspoken address in the voice of an ordinary working mom. She’ll talk about challenging old-boy networks — oil companies, Alaska’s corrupt GOP establishment — and learning to lead. Raising five kids while making a career won’t necessarily earn you an invitation to the Council on Foreign Relations, but it does instill organization and discipline. That’s what Palin brings to the table, the source said.

For once, like Ace, I think a long wonky speech would be all to the good. The only way she can blow this realistically is if she moms it up too much and comes off as asking people to vote for her simply because she’s so gosh-darned down to earth. Too much cutesy-poo moose stuff, too much self-congratulation about having a Blackberry in one hand and a breast pump in the other, too much forced back-patting of Hillary will make for a lame, smelly identity politics stew. A friend at the convention hears through the grapevine that she’s going to knock Obama over the bitter clinginess of small-town voters, but whether that’s just one throwaway laugh line or something more extended is unclear. I’d love it if she came out and was all business on policy from the word go, without even acknowledging the personal drama and press viciousness. It’d be a total clusterfark for the media given how they’ve tried to paint her as an unserious rube; if she walked out and started dialing in on Iran or the surge like Condi Rice, it’d instantly remake her image.

Sounds like plenty of promising “maverick” material is in the mix, though. Exit question: How short is unacceptably short? Fifteen minutes? Part of the point here is simply to show she has enough to say to fill out a reasonably lengthy speech.

Update: Cross them fingers.

First, Palin wants to leave no question about which ticket has a better hold on the economy.

Palin will emphasize her experience and understanding of the energy economy and talk about how Alaska is the “intersection of global energy markets and domestic production.” Here, she’ll try to combat questions regarding her experience.

Palin will also pit John McCain against Barack Obama, making the case for the Arizona senator on the basis of policy and character.

“After she delivers these lines, McCain’s decision to choose her will be much more obvious,” said the aide who has been working with her on the speech.

Finally, Palin will introduce herself to voters as a likable, funny and smart person.

“Every one in the staff has fallen in love with her,” insisted this aide.

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