Palin mocks Obama; McCain claims nomination

[jefferson_dem]

Palin mocks Obama; McCain claims nomination
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 3 minutes ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Claiming her historic spot on the Republican ticket, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin uncorked a slashing attack on Barack Obama Wednesday night and vowed to help John McCain bring real change to Washington.

"Victory in Iraq is finally in sight; he wants to forfeit," she said of the Democratic presidential nominee.

"Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America; he's worried that someone won't read them their rights.

"Government is too big; he wants to grow it."

A packed Republican convention hall roared at every line delivered by the 44-year-old Alaska governor, the first woman ever named to a Republican national ticket.

The Alaska governor had top billing at the convention on a night delegates also lined up for a noisy roll call of the states to deliver their presidential nomination to McCain. At 72, the Arizona senator is the oldest first-time nominee in history, collecting his party's top prize after pursuing it for the better part of a decade.

After days of convention-week controversy, much of it surrounding her 17-year-old, unmarried pregnant daughter, Palin drew cheers from the moment she stepped onto the convention stage, hundreds of camera flashes reflecting off her glasses.

"Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys," she said as the audience signaled its understanding.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_convention_rdp