McCain Camp Preps Palin for Convention

Instead of basking in the limelight as co-star of the RNC, Sarah Palin has been hunkered down in a Minneapolis hotel since Sunday, painstakingly working with John McCain's staff to hone the message she will present as she steps onto the national stage tonight. Her public appearances have been canceled as advisers give her a thorough briefing on McCain’s policies, the Wall Street Journal notes, while a prewritten, “masculine” speech is getting a rewrite in light of the surprise nominee, reports the Washington Post.

The speech, a key opportunity for Palin to introduce herself to America, will concentrate on her own career rather than on attacking Barack Obama. She will try to cut through “some of the media fog that's existed in the last 48 hours,” says McCain’s campaign manager. But as someone who’s used to “one-on-one” politics, speaking in front of a crowd of 20,000 will be a new experience for Palin, says an analyst. (More Sarah Palin stories.)