By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com

At a major political convention, a young politician bursts onto the national scene.  A gifted speaker who is tough, smart, poised and knows how to turn a phrase to get a laugh.  This individual is hailed as one of America’s great leaders of the future.  That person was Barack Obama.

When he spoke at the Democractic National Convention in 2004, the country was mesmerized by his commanding presence and charismatic good looks.  No one knew if there was substance with his style because up to that point, he was still relatively unknown.   One might even go as far to say he was “only” an Illinois state senator at the time.  But at the end of the day it didn’t matter.  We took him at face value and gave him a chance. 

Since that speech it’s fair to say he’s not done too badly for himself, getting elected to the U.S. Senate and ultimately becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.

Now insert Sarah Palin’s name in the above example. 

Simply change state senator and U.S. senator to mayor of a small town and governor of Alaska and just about everything else is the same.  At the Republican National Convention she showed herself to be a gifted speaker.  A lady who is tough, smart, poised and knows how to turn a phrase to get a laugh.  Notice I said just about everything else is the same.

In the case of Sarah Palin, she’s not a future leader; she already is a leader.  If mayor of a small town doesn’t cut it for you, being the governor of one of this nation’s crucial energy states, a state that’s had more than its share of corruption she managed to clean up, should pass as the price of admission.

So why do so many Democrats seem to fear her?  In sports, if you’re unconcerned over your opponent you don’t need to say a word about them, much less attack them at every turn.  Politics are no different.  And yet there was the statement from Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) that read, “The vice president is a heartbeat away from becoming president, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.” 

Dangerous?  When Bill Clinton was the governor of Arkansas and began his run for the White House, was Boxer, at that time a member of the House of Representatives, concerned that her party had nominated a governor from a small southern state without any experience on national issues? 

And then there’s Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida.  In a scathing attack on Palin, the congresswoman closed with the new battle cry of the Democrats.  “What relevant experience does Sarah Palin have, to be able to sit across the conference table, with negotiators, with the prime ministers and presidents of this world?” 

If Governor Palin is so woefully inept, so laughably unqualified for vice president, why do they care about her so much?  Barack Obama is running against John McCain, not Sarah Palin.  Isn’t that how it shapes up or did I miss something?

Does all of this have anything to do with the simple fact she’s different?  Oh sure, she’s not had to make decisions on national security or met with leaders at a G8 summit.  Nor has she led talks trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  I’m just trying to remember how Barack Obama handled himself in those same situations.

Sarah Palin is no less qualified to hold the second-highest office in the land than Barack Obama is to be president.  Many will dispute that statement.  Some of them will question how a mother of five has the audacity to think she can hold such a high office.  Does anyone question how Barack Obama, father of two young daughters, hopes to balance being a parent and a president? 

Has anyone ever questioned a male politican how he would balance holding office with his children’s football games, piano recitals, ballet classes or soccer matches?

How many past presidents and vice presidents were truly equipped for the job when they got there?

Sarah Palin is not your run-of-the-mill politician and that really seems to bother a few folks.  She’s not a Washington insider.  She’s so far outside, she’s barely an outsider.

Although I’m not a political wonk, I’ve observed politics since Richard Nixon was in, and out of, the White House.  I’ve watched and listened to a lot of speeches since that time, both in person and on television.  Sarah Palin’s speech at the RNC was the finest I’ve ever heard.  It makes no difference who wrote it.  She delivered it with the same commanding quality Barack Obama and Joe Biden deliver their written-by-someone-else speeches. 

For Independents like myself, I have never had a party line to tow.  I’ve voted for Democrats.  I’ve voted for Republicans.  I don’t care about anything but the person, their character, their political track record and what they propose to do on the economy, health care and our national security. 

While it remains to be seen whether Sarah Palin really does have the substance to match her style, the same is true for Barack Obama.  The suggestion she’s dangerous is tantamount to a misdirection play in football:  Fool everyone with a great fake while the real play is going in a different direction.

For Blog Harbor and more cool stuff visit CGabriel.com