Palin spoke glowingly about her family and her running mate [AFP]

Sarah Palin touted her small-town roots and spoke glowingly about her family but also found time to take a swipe at Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, as she accepted her party's nomination on Wednesday.

In the highly anticipated speech to the Republican convention in St Paul, Minnesota, Palin portrayed herself as a Washington outsider and came out swinging against Obama and members of the news media who have raised questions about her qualifications.

"I've learnt 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," the Alaska governor said.

"But here's a little news flash for those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the good people of this country."

Since John McCain made the virtually unknown Palin his choice for running mate last week, she has been at the centre of a media storm fuelled by disclosures about her unmarried teenage daughter's pregnancy, an investigation into her role in an Alaskan official's firing and questions about her political record.

Palin's anti-abortion and pro-gun record has excited conservatives and party activists, but her convention speech gave Americans their first chance to judge her for themselves.

Palin, a 44-year-old first-term governor, said her service as a mayor and a town council member in Wasilla, Alaska, had given her a realistic perspective.

"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," she said.

'More experienced'

She contrasted that with Obama's background as a community organiser in Chicago and a first-term senator from Illinois.

"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," she said.

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organiser', except that you have actual responsibilities."

Other convention speakers, including a series of candidates who lost to McCain in the Republican nominating battle, took aim at Obama and rallied around Palin on Wednesday, saying she had more executive experience than he did.

Obama told voters in Ohio that the Republicans had barely mentioned the faltering US economy at their convention session on Tuesday, an issue opinion polls indicate is the most important to voters in this election.

"All these speakers came up, you did not hear a single word about the economy. Think about it. Not once did people mention the hardships that folks are going through," Obama said at a campaign stop in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

McCain is to accept his party's nomination for president on Thursday.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: