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ST. PAUL — Word on the cable networks this morning is that Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a superstar because she delivered her rousing speech at the convention here last night despite a broken teleprompter.

MSNBC reported that tidbit. So did Fox News, with an aide to GOP presidential candidate John McCain talking about the teleprompter woes. Now the blogs are running with the story.

Don’t believe the myth. I watched the speech from the area to the left and behind the stage in the Xcel Center and had a perfect view of the teleprompter. It worked fine. I have the footage to prove it.

At this point, you may be wondering why I videotaped the teleprompter, so here’s my answer: Palin’s speech seemed rushed. She was missing what I thought would have been key applause lines. But then I realized it wasn’t entirely her fault; the teleprompter was rushing Palin through the speech.

I decided to get a clip of the teleprompter in action. At the time, I just thought it would be a colorful item worth blogging. I didn’t think I would need it to debunk a convention myth. But with the networks, the blogs and even the McCain campaign spreading the rumor that the teleprompter wasn’t working, AirCongress can set the record straight.

Watch the teleprompter, the one that was directly in front of the stage, and listen to Palin speaking. The rolling text and her speech are in sync. The teleprompter also stops rolling when the applause begins, and it resumes when Palin starts speaking. That was true throughout the speech.

At least one blog reported that Palin deviated significantly from the prepared speech because the teleprompter broke. That’s also not true. She did ad lib one of her best lines of the night — the one about the only difference between hockey moms and pit bulls being lipstick –but she pretty much read the rest of the speech as it appeared on the teleprompter.

So there you have it. There’s no need to wait for the Internet rumor-buster Snopes.com to get on the case. You heard it at AirCongress first.

Categories: AirCongress, Republican Convention

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ST. PAUL — The most-anticipated speech of the Republican convention here this week arguably was the one delivered tonight by vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She won over the crowd with her personal and political story and her jabs at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Here’s a recap of the best lines in her speech, followed by video of the full speech:

• “I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions … and met far graver challenges … and knows how tough fights are won.”
• “Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.”
• “A writer observed: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity.” I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman. I grew up with those people. They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America … who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they’re always proud of America. “
• “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”
• “I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But 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.”
• “There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state Senate.”
• “Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee. He said, quote, ‘I can’t stand John McCain.’ Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we’ve chosen the right man.”

Categories: Alaska, Producer's Picks, Politics, Sarah Palin, Republican Convention

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ST. PAUL — The three leading Republican rivals to John McCain during the GOP presidential primary all took the stage here tonight to publicly and eagerly throw their support behind the Arizona senator.

For much of the race, McCain was considered an underdog to two of those men, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The third, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, stayed in the race against McCain the longest after scoring a handful of surprise victories in the primary himself.

Here are excerpts and video clips of their speeches at the convention:

Giuliani

This is not a personal attack, it’s a statement of fact: Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada. The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John has been tested. Barack Obama has not.

Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on the job training. It’s about who can answer that crisis call — yes, Hillary, at 3:00 in the morning. Well, no one can look at John McCain and say that he is not ready to be commander-in-chief.

So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about “change versus more of the same.” But that’s really a false choice. Because “change” is not a destination, just as “hope” is not a strategy.

Romney

Did you hear any Democrats talk last week about the threat from radical, violent jihad? Republicans believe that there is good and evil in the world. Ronald Reagan called out the Evil Empire. George Bush labeled the terror-sponsor states the Axis of Evil.

And at Saddleback, after Barak Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!

Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!

Huckabee

John McCain doesn’t want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child’s school, or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires.

He doesn’t want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history. It is not above John McCain’s pay grade to grasp the simple fact that human life begins at conception, and he is committed to protecting it.

Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he’s wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price. John McCain will follow the fanatics to their caves in Pakistan or to the gates of hell. What Obama wants to do is give them a place setting at the table.

Categories: New York, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Producer's Picks, Politics, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Republican Convention

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ST. PAUL — Michael Steele, the son of a sharecropper’s daughter, said here at the Republican convention that America needs the strength of character in a leader that he saw in his mother Maebell, who never lost heart through a lifetime of hardships and trials. And Republican John McCain has that character.

Here is an excerpt from the speech given by Steele, who lost a U.S. Senate bid in 2006 and now serves as the chairman of the Republican political action committee GOPAC:

John McCain has never lost faith in the power and ingenuity of the individual to create the legacy of a nation through hard work, self-sacrifice and discipline. Through his service he reaffirms to the American people his core belief that government should be limited so that it never becomes powerful enough to infringe on the rights of the individual.

That taxes should be kept low so that families can keep more of their hard earned money. That the ideal of a colorblind society is worth fighting for because each man, woman, and child is an individual and not a member of some hyphenated class or group.

Some just talk about change, but John McCain believes the resiliency of the American people is the real source of the change America needs; and that means putting country first.

Categories: Republican Convention

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ST. PAUL — Michael Williams, the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, is a rising star in the Republican Party and one of its premier experts on energy policy. That explains his presence at the podium here at the Republican convention today.

Williams used his time to drive home the point that energy security and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive. Here is an excerpt of his speech:

For energy security, we need to explore more, conserve wisely and aggressively pursue alternatives. We can responsibly drill for oil and natural gas here in America and protect God’s creation.

These things are not mutually exclusive. America cannot say no to clean coal … and no to nuclear power … and no to offshore exploration. That may be good for Saudi Sheikhs, but it’s bad for American families.

Categories: Texas, Environment, Energy, Republican Convention

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