Blog Buzz: Sarah Palin Is the New GOP Star, the Media "Apologize," John McCain's Speech

Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:

"A Star Is Born" in Palin

The verdict on Sarah Palin's speech last night at the Republican National Convention seems to be divided along party lines. Conservative bloggers call her a "natural" and praise her poise and grace, her skilled attacks on Barack Obama and the mainstream media, and her feistiness and likability. They also say of the speech, "A star is born," and "Mission accomplished". Liberal bloggers feel similarly strong feelings in the opposite direction, saying the speech was "mean-spirited and divisive" and full of vicious attacks on the Democrats and distortions of her record. It moved one blogger to make yet another donation to the Obama campaign. At Politico, both Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin were impressed by Palin's delivery. Ben Smith has the Obama camp's response to the speech.

The Media Have Been Very, Very Bad

At Politico, Roger Simon has a sarcastic column "apologizing" for the recent behavior of the elite media, saying, "We have asked questions this week that we never should have asked" about Sarah Palin's record. Andrew Sullivan says he "nailed it" and writes about the media's duty to ask those questions. DailyKos thinks Simon is "right"; Michelle Cottle at the New Republic says the column made her morning. Conservative bloggers say the column is "lame and whiny" and think that while the media have a right to ask questions, they've only been directing them toward one ticket with a mission of destruction.

McCain's Speech: He Can Do It!

After the success of Sarah Palin's speech last night, bloggers wonder what John McCain needs to do in his address. A conservative blogger says that while it's hard to follow a "showstopper," McCain will be effective if he emphasizes the theme of "talk versus action." A National Review blogger thinks he should focus on specific policy proposals and ideas. Jonathan Martin refutes the notion that McCain can't deliver a big speech by pointing out past successes, and our James Pethokoukis says he has to tell Americans how he will restore the country's prosperity.

—Gretchen Hannes