the Republicans have found their Princess Diana

...that was my thought as I listened to the radiant reviews this morning on the talk shows. She is glamorous while being innocent, has an intriguing presence without being overtly sexual, is undeniably the best speech giver the Republicans have had in decades, etc. So a few thoughts...

I stayed up past my bedtime to hear her and I wasn't disappointed. She gave a great speech with poise and class. A speech she didn't write, clearly, but she added her bits (was the joke about the pit bull in the text?, I don't think so.) Well done. Too bad Rudy stole her time. It is remarkable that such a woman has been chosen to run for VP. But questions float through my mind: is this tokenism? is a woman being used to drive a male agenda? I still feel played ... like a rabbit has been pulled from a hat by the gurus of spin, and I am supposed to be gap-mouth breathless.

First, let me say a woman who can give a fabulous speech is not so rare as one may think. We hear men, and women who try to be men,(which is one of the remarkable things about Sarah Palin, that she did not do that - applause to her) all the time. But even in my circle of friends I think of at least two women who could have hit that speech out of the ballpark. That people are so surprised and amazed at the quality of her speech just shows again that women have been underestimated as leaders.

She is no Hillary Clinton and I am glad of that. She represents a totally different ideology and way of being. But don't for a minute think that even the way she wore her hair wasn't carefully contrived for impact. I am still sorting it out ... a bit of a conflict in me on verbal and non-verbal signals. Non-verbally she was innocent and untainted, the girl next door, extraordinaire. But verbally she was caustic with a darling smile. I feel a bit the way I feel when I watch Joyce Meyer, occasionally. Verbal - non-verbal confusion.

So it remains to be seen what will happen to this as yet un-vetted candidate. For sure she has brought a fascinating twist into the convention similar to Princess Diana's arrival into the royal family of Windsor. A beautiful face - what a relief! - after so many big noses and floppy ears. Trouble was, no one wanted to hear Charles after that. And Diana didn't have too much to say, in spite of the fact that she said it so prettily.