I was putting the finishing touches on the October issue of National Right to Life News during last night's debate between pro-life Gov. Sarah Palin and pro-abortion Sen. Joe Biden. But I was able to keep tabs on what was going on by way of a flock of people who were kind enough to keep me posted via e-mails, IMs, and text messages.

On the drive home I was able to listen to a re-run of part of the debate and the rest later on C-SPAN television. It's clear that the record number of people who tuned in really got their money's worth. Suffice it to say (as many people did) that Sarah rocked.

I thought it would be interesting to have one of the people who was emailing me jot down her thoughts. Joleigh Little directs Wisconsin Right to Life's Teens for Life program and is a regular contributor to NRL News.
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She's Our Girl
By Joleigh Little

By all accounts there was a lot riding on last night's Vice Presidential debate. The media was all but salivating in anticipation of a poor performance by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. What they forgot in their haste to downgrade her chances is that being a genuinely nice, down-to-earth person with political savvy and an ability to break down complex issues so they relate to "Joe Six Pack" and the average hockey mom, works for any candidate.

During the week leading up to the debate, everyone had an opinion about what Sarah Palin needed to say or do in order to survive the experience. As it turns out, all Palin had to do was show up and be herself.

She was friendly, she was articulate, she made sense, she didn't let Biden (or the moderator) control what she said, and best of all she reached out to people.

That she is comfortable in her own skin and confident in whom and what she is was more than obvious last night.

Gov. Palin knew her audience was the American people and it was to us to whom she spoke. She connected with people because she understands them – their fears, their frustrations, their hopes and their dreams.

But, then, those who know her say Sarah Palin's ultimate strength is that she is "one of us."

For pro-lifers, truer words were never spoken. She is one of us in every way that counts. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only grassroots right-to-life advocate who has the uncanny sense that somehow I already knew Sarah Palin. She is exactly the kind of person we meet attending a National Right to Life Convention, or a local chapter meeting in Wisconsin, Arkansas or, well, Alaska.

She doesn't dance around the abortion issue in interviews. In fact, her eyes light up and she answers the question with a boldness that is blended with an understanding of how difficult an unplanned pregnancy can be.

Sarah is one of us for many other reasons, too. She is a wife who loves her husband – she has a marriage that is a true partnership with a man who doesn't seem at all intimidated by her success or her strength. She has children who are unique and amazing, but who make mistakes just like everyone else's kids. She also has kids who, when faced with real challenges, have the courage and compassion to choose life.

I think that is why the media is so confounded by her. They are wedded to the notion that pro-lifers are all a bunch of wild-eyed, viciously judgmental whackos. So when one of us gains the national spotlight and turns out to be attractive, articulate, well-dressed, and (gasp!) downright likeable, they fall apart.

Well, media, welcome to the right-to-life movement. The only thing that really separates us from you is that we carry our views of equality a step further. We espouse equal rights for the tiniest of women from the moment of conception.

And we don't buy the notion that in order to be strong and "make it in a man's world," you have to be willing to sacrifice your children.

Pro-life women everywhere are beside themselves with joy after Gov. Palin's performance last night. She didn't just show up – she made us proud! (I know this because I spent hours after the debate talking to them – and a few guys, too.

From our youngest teen activists, to the women who chair most of our chapters, everyone is overjoyed that Sarah Palin is on the political scene to champion the cause of life, and speak for the voiceless. That the woman about to shatter that proverbial glass ceiling is one who respects life and will truly defend the most defenseless among us, makes us literally weep for joy.

Sarah Palin is, without a doubt, our girl. She did a remarkable job last night. We couldn't be more proud of her if we knew her personally.

And in some assuring way, I think we all already do.