Palin, Reagan, Thatcher, and the Political Second Coming of 1976

by Whitney Pitcher

Today, February 11, 2012,  Governor Palin gave the closing address at CPAC. Today also marks 37 years since Margaret Thatcher was elected to be the head of British Conservative party ousting former Prime Minister Heath. That same year, 1975, Thatcher was given that leadership, Ronald Reagan gave his famous “bold colors, no pastels” speech to that year’s CPAC convention. Three leaders whose principles and passion drive them, not their political party.

Governor Palin’s barnburner of a speech hit on everything from her call to stand for life to highlighting how Obama’s policies led to the MF Global’s disastrous loss of billions of dollars of people’s money to criticizing how the Obama administration is sharing nuclear intelligence with the Russian Kremlin . She carved out every leg of the stool.  She hit on the permanent political class who, rather than viewing Washington D.C. as a cesspool that needs drained, see Washington as a hot tub to lounge in. She called for not a red or a blue America, but a red, white, and blue America–unity against a president who is not trying to win the future, but lose our country. She also called for the presidential candidates to stick to the issues and to the need to replace President Obama in the issues. Perhaps drawing (in a bit of a softer way) from her recent Facebook post about the cannibalistic methods of GOP Establishment, Governor Palin called on the candidates to avoid the personal attacks and misrepresentations and lies of each other’s records. There’s no need for the Republican Party to become the political Donner party to only make the Democratic machine’s job easier in the general election.

Any words I could type about this speech would not do Governor Palin justice. The best thing to do is watch it for yourself. There are some who, even after this speech, which required 4 overflow rooms to be open at the event with who knows how many watching at home, downplay Governor Palin’s influence. There are some who say that if she was a real fighter she would have thrown her hat into the ring for 2012. However, Governor Palin’s flame has not be snuffed out, as Adrienne Ross noted yesterday. She is still a fighter. None of the current presidential candidates went to Madison, Wisconsin in the midst of one of the fiercest reform battles in modern American history. None of the others stood with the Tea Party when we were essentially deemed accomplices to murder following the horrible Tucson shooting in January of 2011, yet Governor Palin did–even while she was the main target. Today, she stood with us fighting a two front ideological and strategic battle with both the GOP Establishment and the Left. Governor Palin has always stood with us, not in front of or behind us. She has spoken with us, not at us or to us. She has done so, not to score political points and not to gain political power. She has done so because it is who she is. She happily clings to principle; she doesn’t bitterly cling to power. What you cling to is what guides you.

Personally, I’ve always thought of Governor Palin has the political lovechild of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Ronald Reagan’s “bold colors, no pastels” speech came when he was not an office holder, nor had he launched his 1976 presidential campaign. Margaret Thatcher’s position as head of the British Conservative party came when her party was in the minority. She wasn’t running for prime minister at this time. In the timeline of conservative political history, so many have tried to correlate this year’s upcoming election with that of 1980. While there is indeed a Jimmy Carter like figure in this election; there is not a Reagan like figure. While there are no perfect political parallels, perhaps this election year begs the question if  it is really the second 1980? Perhaps instead it is the second 1975-1976–when the conservatives in America and in Britain called their parties to be bold in their principles and in their foundation. After all, what good is a “big tent” if the tent pegs are driven into a mushy ground?  Conservatism is often described as a three legged stool, and indeed it is, but it’s that stool won’t hold together unless it is bound by the seat of character and the glue of the optimism and good humor. This is the principled bond of Thatcher, Reagan, and Palin. Because these principled leaders reasonated with so many people, they were often tried to be silenced by their critics. However, they all possessed that “glue” of optimism and good humor in the face of hecklers, as Rubegonia has captured in this clip of Palin’s speech today and one of both Reagan’s and Thatcher’s speeches:

Thank you, Governor, for being principled and passionate, and happy birthday!

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Ronald Reagan Honored With Statue In London

By Gary P Jackson

Catching up on some Independence Day news. We reported earlier that a statue of Ronald Reagan was erected in Budapest, to celebrate the fall of communism. Over the 4th, Great Britain also honored one of our nation’s greatest leaders:

As Fourth of July celebrations get under way across the United States, London will hold its own tribute to America’s 40th President, Ronald Reagan, with the unveiling of a bronze statue outside the American embassy in Grosvenor Square.

Former president Reagan will stand alongside other celebrated US heads of state such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower and was considered important enough for Westminster City Council to break its rule specifying that ten years must pass after a subject’s death before they can be immortalized in statue form.

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be in London for the unveiling of the memorial, along with British Foreign Secretary William Hague. Baroness Thatcher, Reagan’s closest foreign ally and one half of the ‘Special Relationship‘ which came to epitomize the 1980s and contribute to the demise of the Cold War will probably be too frail to attend the ceremony celebrating the man she referred to as “the second most important man in my life.”

The $1 million statue is the latest in a number that have been unveiled across the world, celebrating 100 years since Reagan’s birth and in recognition of his contribution to the fall of Communism in Europe. Indeed a quote attributed to Lady Thatcher that “Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot” will be etched on the statue’s plinth which will be displayed with a portion of the Berlin Wall.

Former special assistant to Ronald Reagan Mary Jo Jacobi told CNBC.com ahead of attending that ceremony that Reagan would have reacted to the tribute with humility.

“I think he would be moved and a bit perhaps surprised by it all because he was a very humble man. I do think that there was a very special place in his heart for Margaret Thatcher and for the United Kingdom, our closest ally in his view, so I think he would be particularly thrilled to have this statue here in London,” she told CNBC.com

Jacobi, who has met every US president since Lyndon Johnson, said Reagan stands apart from subsequent presidents as he was able to articulate and execute a clear vision for the United States.

“He connected with the common person in the United States and in many parts of the world, and I think that that’s a rare gift, we haven’t seen it since. Bill Clinton was very good at empathy, President Obama was very good at articulating a vague notion of hope and change, but not a clear vision of what that hope and change would look like or feel like and that was the difference with Ronald Reagan,” she explained.

Read more here.

It’s wonderful to see all of these tributes to Ronald Reagan as we celebrate his 100th birthday this year. Reagan was truly one of this nation’s greatest presidents, and thankfully was appreciated by the American people while he was still in office, something few presidents ever see. His leadership has inspired untold numbers of men and women to join the fight.

God bless Ronald Reagan, and God bless America.

Flashback: John O’Sullivan: Conservative Snobs Are Wrong About Sarah Palin

Jolly, rib-tickling stuff. But, as it happens, I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common.

~ John O’Sullivan, former special advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

By Gary P Jackson

As the Republican elites continue to trash talk, I thought now was a great time to look back at a piece written by John O’Sullivan for the Wall Street Journal in December of 2008:

Being listed in fourth place for Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” as Sarah Palin was for 2008, sounds a little like being awarded the Order of Purity (Fourth Class). But it testifies to something important.

Though regularly pronounced sick, dying, dead, cremated and scattered at sea, Mrs. Palin is still amazingly around. She has survived more media assassination attempts than Fidel Castro has survived real ones (Cuban official figure: 638). In her case, one particular method of assassination is especially popular — namely, the desperate assertion that, in addition to her other handicaps, she is “no Margaret Thatcher.”

Very few express this view in a calm or considered manner. Some employ profanity. Most claim to be conservative admirers of Mrs. Thatcher. Others admit they had always disliked the former British prime minister until someone compared her to “Sarracuda” — at which point they suddenly realized Mrs. Thatcher must have been absolutely brilliant (at least by comparison).

Inevitably, Lloyd Bentsen’s famous put-down of Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice-presidential debate is resurrected, such as by Paul Waugh (in the London Evening Standard) and Marie Cocco (in the Washington Post): “Newsflash! Governor, You’re No Maggie Thatcher,” sneered Mr. Waugh. Added Ms. Coco, “now we know Sarah Palin is no Margaret Thatcher — and no Dan Quayle either!”

Jolly, rib-tickling stuff. But, as it happens, I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common.

[ …. ]

Mrs. Palin had four big occasions in the late, doomed Republican campaign: her introduction by John McCain in Ohio, her speech at the GOP convention, her vice-presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden, and her appearance on Saturday Night Live. With minimal preparation, she rose to all four of them. That’s the mark of a star.

If conservative intellectuals, Republican operatives and McCain “handlers” can’t see it, then so much the worse for them.

John O’Sullivan is executive editor of Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty in Prague, and a former special adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His book, “The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister” (Regnery) is available in hardcover and paperback.

You can read the rest of the article here.

It seems the Brits have a better nose for what makes America great than do the GOP elites, as British Historian Paul Johnson recently told the Wall Street Journal:

I like that lady—Sarah Palin. She’s great. I like the cut of her jib.

British Historian Paul Johnson: “I like that lady—Sarah Palin. She’s great. I like the cut of her jib.”

By Gary P Jackson

Brian M Carney recently interviewed eminent British historian Paul Johnson for the Wall Street Journal. Among other things, Johnson talks about the tea party movement and Sarah Palin.

Pessimists, he points out, have been predicting America’s decline “since the 18th century.” But whenever things are looking bad, America “suddenly produces these wonderful things—like the tea party movement. That’s cheered me up no end. Because it’s done more for women in politics than anything else—all the feminists? Nuts! It’s brought a lot of very clever and quite young women into mainstream politics and got them elected. A very good little movement, that. I like it.”

Then he deepens his voice for effect and adds: “And I like that lady—Sarah Palin. She’s great. I like the cut of her jib.”

The former governor of Alaska, he says, “is in the good tradition of America, which this awful political correctness business goes against.” Plus: “She’s got courage. That’s very important in politics. You can have all the right ideas and the ability to express them. But if you haven’t got guts, if you haven’t got courage the way Margaret Thatcher had courage—and [Ronald] Reagan, come to think of it. Your last president had courage too—if you haven’t got courage, all the other virtues are no good at all. It’s the central virtue.”

Read the entire interview here.

The Arctic Fox And The Iron Lady …. Sarah Palin To Visit Margaret Thatcher?

But, as it happens, I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common.

~ John O’Sullivan

According to a report by the notoriously left wing UK Mail Online, Sarah Palin will visit Margaret Thatcher in the near future. They report this like it is some sort of photo op, the kind of thing that only a shallow person, like say, Barack Obama, would try and pull off.

In reality, if this meeting happens, it will be the event of a lifetime for all of those involved. Think about it, along with the great Ronald Reagan, Maggie Thatcher was part of the conservative leadership that won the Cold War. Like Reagan, Thatcher understood the meaning of “peace through strength.” as does Sarah Palin.

Simply put, Reagan and Thatcher strengthened both of our countries’ militaries to the point that the Soviet Union just couldn’t keep up, and ultimately sought a peaceful end to the nearly 50 year stand-off between Freedom and communism, between Liberty and oppression.

Sadly, no one can sit down with Ronald Reagan and learn from him, but the opportunity to sit and visit with Mrs. Thatcher, and discuss those amazing times is an opportunity of a lifetime that no one could pass up.

Since Sarah Palin has come on the national scene, the comparisons to her and Margaret Thatcher have been inevitable. Both are strong Conservative women, with solid records of achievement. Back in December of 2008 John O’Sullivan, a long time aide to Mrs. Thatcher, wrote about this very comparison in the Wall Street Journal:

Conservative Snobs Are Wrong About Palin

I know Maggie Thatcher. The two women have a lot in common.

By JOHN O’SULLIVAN

Being listed in fourth place for Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” as Sarah Palin was for 2008, sounds a little like being awarded the Order of Purity (Fourth Class). But it testifies to something important.

Though regularly pronounced sick, dying, dead, cremated and scattered at sea, Mrs. Palin is still amazingly around. She has survived more media assassination attempts than Fidel Castro has survived real ones (Cuban official figure: 638). In her case, one particular method of assassination is especially popular — namely, the desperate assertion that, in addition to her other handicaps, she is “no Margaret Thatcher.”

Very few express this view in a calm or considered manner. Some employ profanity. Most claim to be conservative admirers of Mrs. Thatcher. Others admit they had always disliked the former British prime minister until someone compared her to “Sarracuda” — at which point they suddenly realized Mrs. Thatcher must have been absolutely brilliant (at least by comparison).

Inevitably, Lloyd Bentsen’s famous put-down of Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice-presidential debate is resurrected, such as by Paul Waugh (in the London Evening Standard) and Marie Cocco (in the Washington Post): “Newsflash! Governor, You’re No Maggie Thatcher,” sneered Mr. Waugh. Added Ms. Coco, “now we know Sarah Palin is no Margaret Thatcher — and no Dan Quayle either!”

Jolly, rib-tickling stuff. But, as it happens, I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common.

You can read all of John O’Sullivan’s essay here.

Interestingly, in September of ‘08, Janet Daley, writing in the decidedly more conservative UK Telegraph, compared the treatment Sarah was getting from the radical left in America, and some on the right, to the “spiteful treatment of Margaret Thatcher” which you can read here.

It would seem Marxist-progressives world wide have a long history of hating women who don’t tow their liberal party line.

Those snobs among the Republican elite and the “Good Old Boy Network” haven’t changed either. They still remain blissfully ignorant, and educated well beyond the level of their actual intelligence. It so happens that Stacy Drake has just published a brand new article on this very subject and takes these clueless GOP snobs to task. You can read Stacy’s Sarah Palin vs Snobbery here.

More thoughts on Sarah visiting Great Britain and possibly Israel come from an article Ted Belman wrote for the American Thinker back in May:

Sarah Palin Is On A Roll

Since resigning from her governorship last July, Sarah Palin hasn’t made a false move. This is surprising for someone who is more passionate than cautious and one reputed to be…well, you know, a dummy.

Her book tour went exceedingly well. She has received thousands of invitations to speak, notwithstanding her $100,000 price tag. She continues to raise huge sums of money for her sponsors and draw sellout crowds. Her policy announcements have been spot-on, whether delivered in her speeches, interviews, or Facebook posts.

Because of her charge of “death panels” to decry Obamacare, she more than anyone is responsible for the overwhelming majority now opposed to the law. Although Obama’s supporters denied such “death panels” at first, many experts now openly admit to them.

In foreign affairs, she coined the Obama Doctrine as “coddling your enemies and alienating your friends.” This characterization is now commonplace. Palin also decried Obama’s statement that the U.S. would not retaliate with nuclear weapons if it were attacked by WMDs and suggested that the U.S. was asking to be hit. Obama, in his non-response, replied with “I really have no response to that. The last I checked, Sarah Palin is not much of an expert on nuclear issues.” And “What I would say to them is, is that if the secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff are comfortable with it, I’m probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin.” Palin came back, quick as a flash, sarcastically honoring “the vast nuclear experience that he acquired as a community organizer, part-time senator, and full-time candidate.” Within hours, Obama was retracting his original statement.

Finally, Palin has come down squarely on the side of Israel, Israel’s right to expand, and a united Jerusalem. She fully supports Israel’s right to self-defense and said that we shouldn’t be second-guessing her. Such policies are the polar opposite of what Obama is pushing for, and the former enjoy the support of a large majority of Americans.

Palin’s energy policy of “Drill, Baby, Drill” and “all of the above” also has broad support. She was the first to attack Obama’s proposed drilling legislation that she characterized as “Stall, Baby, Stall.” This support is rapidly decreasing in the wake of the disastrous explosion or malfunction of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, which promises a looming environmental disaster for America’s southern coastline. But Palin is sticking to her guns, if you’ll pardon the expression. She didn’t retreat. She reloaded and reaffirmed her support for drilling despite the risks. Sarah Palin lived through the Exxon-Valdez disaster that devastated her home state of Alaska. As fate would have it, she was responsible for finally bringing Exxon to judgment when she was governor after a twenty-year battle. So she knows the devastation firsthand and will do everything she can to minimize the risk. But still, she wants to “Drill baby drill.”

[ …. ]

During the next six months, Palin will continue making speeches and supporting candidates of her choice. She will be coming out with a book on policy in the fall and will do another book signing tour. Then she will be off to Europe to visit with political leaders and stir up the people. I predict that huge crowds will embrace her and her message. No doubt, she will also visit Israel with her entire family, where they will be mobbed. It will be a media feeding frenzy.

A strong embrace in Europe and Israel will give her an enormous boost in America.

You can read more here.

We think this is an excellent plan. One simply cannot pass on the chance to visit with such an iconic figure as Maggie Thatcher, someone who absolutely changed the world for the better. As for Israel, Sarah has shown such strong support for our friends there, and most certainly is on the side of the Israelis as they struggle for survival against pretty much the rest of the world. Her visit would signal, that even though the Obama regime is siding with the terrorists of the world against Israel, the American people support Israel, and the Israeli people.

Nothing has been officially announced, and we have absolutely no idea when these trips to Great Britain, and possibly Israel may happen, but one thing about it, if there is an exchange of gifts, I doubt Sarah will be handing out iPods loaded with her speeches, or DVDs that aren’t formatted for their machines, …. like someone else we all know.

Sarah Palin Rocks Hong Kong

As expected, Sarah Palin made a worldwide splash with her speech at the 16^th Annual CLSA Investor’s Forum. According to CLSA’s website it was standing room only with over 1100 institutional fund managers and heads of leading Asian, Australian and US corporations.

Reports are Sarah received a lengthy standing ovation at the end of her speech. It’s also reported that a couple of whiny liberals left before she was finished., I guess they couldn’t handle the truth! They also wouldn’t go on the record. No guts, no glory!

In his introduction, CLSA Chairman and CEO, Jonathan Slone, quoted President Eisenhower on the responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society to debate issues that matter.

Following her remarks, Governor Palin responded to questions from CLSA’s clients.

You know how one knows this thing was a home run? The New York Times ran a fair story about Sarah’s speech without an ounce of snark! I imagine Maureen Dowd had a stroke!

From the New York Times:

HONG KONG — Sarah Palin, in what was billed as her first speech overseas, spoke on Wednesday to Asian bankers,investors and fund managers.

A number of people who heard the speech in a packed hotel ballroom, which was closed to the media, said Mrs. Palin spoke from notes for 90 minutes and that she was articulate, well-prepared and even compelling.

“The speech was wide-ranging, very balanced, and she beat all expectations,” said Doug A. Coulter, head of private equity in the Asia-Pacific region for LGT Capital Partners.

“She didn’t sound at all like a far-right-wing conservative. She seemed to be positioning herself as a libertarian or a small-c conservative,” he said, adding that she mentioned both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. “She brought up both those names.”

Of course, the comparison’s of Sarah Palin to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher are inevitable We’ve done it ourselves. No less than Michael Reagan, son of the great Renaldus Magnus, has compared the two favorably as well, as he did in his piece: “Welcome Back Dad.”

Last December, writing in the Wall Street Journal, John O’Sullivan wrote a piece called “Conservative Snobs Are Wrong About Palin.” In his article, he compares Sarah favorable to Lady Thatcher, and cites Sarah’s executive experience as a major reason for why she will be successful on the larger stage. It should be noted that O’Sullivan was a special adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Now let’s be honest. Sarah Palin is not Ronald Reagan, or Maggie Thatcher. Sarah is her own person, with her own ideas, and her own brand of conservatism. But Reagan was a huge influence on her, and as Reagan and Thatcher really dominated the world stage in their day, I’m sure some of that interaction made an impression on a young Sarah Palin.

“Common sense conservatism” was a common theme from those that heard her speech.

Here’s the reason why everyone and their uncle compares Sarah Palin favorably to Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan, Sarah Palin is strong, and unwavering in her beliefs. She will tell you what she thinks, straight up, just like Reagan. And like Reagan, Sarah says what she means, and means what she says.

Sarah also articulates conservatism, real conservatism better than anyone out there today. This too is something she shares with Reagan, along with an unabashed love for America, and an unbridled optimism. Reagan’s optimism was key to his success. Reagan, like Sarah, was a realist, he knew we had issues, but at the end of the day, He knew America had it in her to shine. You hear that same spirit in Sarah Palin every time she speaks.

So fairly, or unfairly, this is why the two are always compared, and compared favorable. As a recent Rasmussen poll pointed out, “being like Ronald Reagan” is the only positive political description that voters care about. It’s the gold standard that all conservatives are judged by.

More from the Times:

Cameron Sinclair, another speaker at the event, said Mrs. Palin emphasized the need for a grassroots rebirth of the Republican Party driven by party leaders outside Washington.

A number of attendees thought Mrs. Palin, the former vice presidential candidate, was using the speech to begin to broaden her foreign policy credentials before making a run for the presidency in 2012.

“She’s definitely a serious future presidential candidate, and I understand why she plays so well in middle America,” said Mr. Coulter, a Canadian.

And this from a New Yorker and an Obama supporter who attended:

Melvin Goodé, a regional marketing consultant, thought Mrs. Palin chose Hong Kong because, he said, it was “a place where things happen and where freedom can be expanded upon.”

“It’s not Beijing or Shanghai,” said Mr. Goodé . “She also mentioned Tibet, Burma and North Korea in the same breath as places where China should be more sensitive and careful about how people are treated. She said it on a human-rights level.”

Mr. Goodé, an African-American who said he did some campaign polling for President Obama, said Mrs. Palin mentioned President Obama three times on Wednesday.

“And there was nothing derogatory in it, no sleight of hand, and believe me, I was listening for that,” he said, adding that Mrs. Palin referred to Mr. Obama as “our president,” with the emphasis on “our.”

Mr. Goodé, a New Yorker who said he would never vote for Mrs. Palin, said she acquitted herself well.

“She was articulate and she held her own. I give her credit. They’ve tried to categorize her as not being bright. She’s bright.”

Appearing Wednesday night “On The Record” with Greta Van Susteren, Wall Street Journal’s Asia page editor Mary Kissel, who was in Hong Kong, told Greta that Sarah’s appearance generated the most interest in the forum’s 16 year history. That the media even followed her to the airport as she was leaving the country.

Speaking of which, the Wall Street Journal, had this to say:

The former vice presidential candidate understands Beijing better than the Obama Administration does.

The Journal added:

Sarah Palin was pounded by the media as a foreign-policy novice during last year’s presidential campaign. But when it comes to the U.S. approach toward China, she has ideas worth listening to.

“Twenty years ago, many believed that as China liberalized its economy, greater political freedom would naturally follow,” the former Alaska governor and Republican nominee for the vice presidency told a Hong Kong audience yesterday. “Unfortunately that has not come to pass.”

Mrs. Palin sees China’s authoritarian nature as a security concern for the U.S. and its allies in Asia-Pacific, and she has a point. North Korea, Burma and other rogue regimes couldn’t sustain themselves without Chinese support. Not to mention the hundreds of missiles Beijing has pointed at Taiwan and its navy’s increasingly muscular attitude in the South China Sea. “How many books and articles have been written about the dangers of India’s rise?” she asked.

The solution, she argues, is to encourage political change from within China—a movement that regained momentum last year with the launch of Charter 08, a democratic manifesto.

Such developments, she argued, are in everyone’s interest. “The more politically open and just China is, the more Chinese citizens of every ethnicity will settle disputes in courts rather than on the streets,” she said. The more open China is, “the less we will be concerned about its military buildup and intentions.”

Mrs. Palin also espoused the value of alliances with like-minded democratic countries in the region such as Japan, Australia and India. The U.S. “can, must and should” work with China to address issues of “mutual concern,” she said. “But we also need to work with our allies in addressing the uncertainties created by China’s rise.”

The Obama Administration could take a page from this book. So far, the White House has gone out of its way to downplay human rights in China and tiptoe around recent crackdowns in Tibet and Xinjiang, preferring to focus on hipper issues like climate change. This “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to Beijing does no favors to the Chinese people, much less to the West’s core interests in Asia. At the same time, America’s other alliances in the region have been largely ignored.

Mrs. Palin also made a timely call against trade protectionism—an issue that will be high on the U.S.-China agenda this week at the Group of 20 meeting in Pittsburgh. She spoke up for the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement, now stalled in the U.S. Congress. She also called the Obama Administration’s decision to slap a 35% duty on Chinese tires a “mistake,” while adding that China needed to respect intellectual property rights and “improve its rule of law.” Again, she made the connection with human-rights: “Our economic relationship will truly thrive when Chinese citizens and foreign corporations can hold the Chinese government accountable.”

Mrs. Palin’s speech will almost surely be dismissed by her critics as a scripted exercise. What we heard was a balanced and realistic view of China, founded on universal values that Westerners and Chinese alike can believe in.

Appearing on Sean Hannity’s “Great American Panel” Wednesday Night, famed Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz has this to say:

“Sarah Palin excites me. She stands for something.”

Holtz went on to expand on this, noting that Ronald Reagan’s successes came from standing for something, and that this recent tendency to “moderate” the message in an attempt to draw people in is a mistake. This echoes what we have been saying for a long time. Be who you are, true to your school. Reagan had the same conservative message for every single American.

People want someone who stands for something, believes in something. Those are the people we know we can trust. Those are the people we know will never, ever waver under pressure.

Sarah herself, recognizing folks wanted to hear a little bit of what she had to say in her address, released excerpts of her speech on her Facebook page, which we covered here.

Having read the excerpts from her speech, it’s simple to say this was some serious red meat, a nice, thick, grilled ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and some veggies on the side, in fact! A good solid meal that was very filling.

It’s going to be a lot of fun watching Sarah Palin out there being Sarah Palin. For long time Palinistas, this is the Sarah Palin we liked before it was really cool to like Sarah Palin!

Airport photo courtesy Asia Media, Speech photos courtesy CLSA.