All eyes and ears will be on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a couple of hours. She'll either hit it out of the park, or crash and burn and be reduced to a female Dan Quayle.

My gut and mind tell it will be the former. She's got moxie, the kind that stems from belief in herself and her principles, moral and political. As we saw on Friday, she's an effective and inspiring speaker.

The attacks on Palin and her family have been so vicious and over-reaching, that they will create sympathy for Palin, rather than the contempt felt by the Left. Most Americans watching tonight relate to her far more than to Obama or Biden, and I think they will want her to succeed.

The media tornado surrounding Palin and her family guarantees a much higher-than-usual viewership than a VP nominee would ordinarily attract. If Palin hits a home run, she and the McCain ticket will emerge from this convention stronger than ever, the post-convention bounce will be even bigger, and her tormentors will look like trolls.

Judging from this excerpts from her speech, the bridge trolls of the Left will be disappointed:

On her experience as a public servant:

"I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

On why she is going to Washington, D.C.:

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

On energy policies that the McCain-Palin administration will implement:

"Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines...build more nuclear plants...create jobs with clean coal...and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."

On John McCain:

"Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."