Did Palin pull it off?

Talk about anticipation.

Five days after John McCain thrust Alaska Governor Sarah Palin onto the national stage as his running mate, she stood before delegates at the Republican National Convention Wednesday poised to deliver among the year’s most anticipated speech.

And she delivered an aggressive, forceful address that touted her experience as a small town mayor and governor, celebrated McCain’s leadership and character, and attacked the Democrats and media.

“Tonight’s performance … will go down in history as what saved the McCain campaign for another day,” speechwriter Jane Genova told Ragan.com. “Every speechwriter can be proud tonight to make similar performances possible for their speakers.”

Peggy Noonan, former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, wrote in The Wall Street Journal that Palin’s speech must tell the public “who she is, what she believes and why she’s here.”