Palin is a true-blue conservative, but also has a record of taking on her own party. And she’s a religious conservative – with a beautiful Down’s syndrome baby (in a country where 90 percent of such babies are aborted).

The rest of her personal story is just as compelling: a working mother with five kids (one on the way to Iraq) and a husband in the Steelworkers Union. She’s gorgeous and feminine but she hunts and fishes. She’s charismatic and a good speaker. She’s the kind of woman you’d like to have a beer with…

Dems have been comparing Palin to Joe Biden and laughing derisively at the contrast. But for some reason, the comparison between Obama and McCain – who are light years apart in terms of experience – doesn’t incite the same level of concern or condescension.