And he (or she) admits that I was right on our Sarah. Not only that, this reader explains with great astuteness how she broadens what it means to put country first:

The other night Governor Palin allowed this disgruntled reader to check his own reality check. By any account, she performed splendidly. Amidst two presidential campaigns that often seem to emphasize a choice between alternative human types-the transpolitical, magnetic One vis-à-vis the patriotic, all-too-human Guardian, she did what neither candidate had managed to do to date, namely, appear to be a compellingly real person who is also a compellingly real American. Giving credit where credit is due, your early call about her being something of a prodigy was right. Granted she delivered a prepared speech, albeit on a less than perfect teleprompter. But she did so in a way that allowed the audience to see that she is something of a force of nature. She appeared approachable yet tough, confident yet humble, and serious yet charmingly even-keeled. For these reasons, the convention was (and is) hers. That was clear Wednesday night; it was only reinforced last night by McCain’s serviceable speech. The question now is whether the election can be hers? It is remarkable that prior to her pick as VP McCain had remained so close in the polls; he clearly has not been terribly helped by the country’s weariness of the Bush administration and by the media’s portrayal of an Obama made-even more-young and beautiful. That says something about the overall weakness of both Obama and McCain. It seems the McCain team picked "better than they knew." But it also seems that they now know this. McCain’s speech last night continued his theme of County First. Yet even in the laconic, and for that reason stirring, retelling of his imprisonment and the love of county it kindled, he broadened the conception of what it means to put Country First. Moving beyond his earlier definition, it is now said to include an appreciation and defense of the way of life many Americans like his small town VP live. I am not sure if this broadening can mask the latent bifocalism I see in his campaign and thus bring him to the White House. However, I am more open than before to thinking that it may signal a real change in the party down the road-a road that most likely will have to run through Alaska