But even if the G.O.P. ticket loses, we probably witnessed on Wednesday night the birth of a new future Republican White House contender, a rival for Romney and Huckabee as ’12 approaches. Her acceptance speech marked the opening for Palin of a two-month window that ambitious politicians dream about – an opportunity to show her party’s base what she looks like on the national stage, going toe-to-toe with the other party (and the media), and to leave them drooling for more.