Palin aims to silence critics with convention speech

St. Paul: Sarah Palin has dominated the Republican convention for days without making a public appearance but she was expected to take the spotlight with a prime-time speech later yesterday that would introduce her to American voters.

Since John McCain made the nearly unknown Palin his No. 2, the Alaska governor has been at the centre of a media storm fuelled by disclosures about her unmarried teenage daughter's pregnancy, a probe into her role in an Alaskan official's firing and questions about her political record.

McCain, 72, an Arizona senator, and Palin were to be nominated by the convention later yesterday to face Democrat Barack Obama and his vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden, in the November 4 presidential election.

Palin's anti-abortion and pro-gun record have excited conservatives and party activists, but her appearance yesterday was to be her first chance to directly tell American voters her life story and philosophy.

It comes just five days after McCain shocked the US political world by introducing the 44-year-old first-term governor as his running mate at an Ohio rally.

"She made her first impression on Republicans in Ohio on Friday when McCain introduced her," said Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. "Now she can make a first impression on the rest of the country."

Palin, the first female Republican vice presidential nominee, has stayed out of the public eye in Minnesota for two days while revelations about her family and her record in Alaska surfaced.

She has been preparing her address with speechwriter Matt Scully, who drafted her speech in Ohio. "We're just going to rock 'em, sock 'em - we kind of like it when people underestimate us," a McCain campaign official said of the speech.

Her speech, when she will accept the nomination, may give the public a chance to assess her familiarity with domestic and foreign policy issues. She will possibly address the issue of her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy and the investigation into whether she abused her power in having a public safety commissioner fired in Alaska.

Protests

The furore over Palin has raised questions about McCain's judgment and the depth of investigation that preceded her selection, and could put a dent in McCain's efforts to build momentum heading out of the convention.

As the convention was under way on Tuesday, a peaceful march on behalf of poor people by more than 1,000 demonstrators led to a brief confrontation of some of them with police. Pepper spray and teargas were used to drive the protesters away from the downtown Xcel Energy Centre where the convention was being held.

Much of Monday's convention schedule was delayed by Hurricane Gustav's assault on the Gulf Coast.