Illinois Republicans rally around the VP choice

MINNEAPOLIS - Illinois Republicans are circling the wagons around John McCain running mate Sarah Palin, arguing that her resume trumps Barack Obama's and saying that her unmarried teen daughter's pregnancy creates no political problems.

"We have to stand by her, and we have to defend her," Frank Donatelli, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee told Illinois delegates during their breakfast meeting Tuesday.

Defend her they did.

While more than a few Americans have been saying "Sarah who?" since McCain announced his surprise vice presidential pick Friday, Illinois Republicans here are declaring there's no doubt about the Alaska governor's qualifications and experience.

Republicans have been utilizing adjectives like "awesome," "terrific" and "nifty" to describe Palin, whose generally conservative views are receiving favorable reviews from the party's base.

The "nifty" came from 2006 gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka, who said, "I think it was a great choice. And, you notice it just shut down everything coming out of the Democratic convention, like - kavoom - it was gone."

Democrats, meanwhile, have asked how someone who has been Alaska's governor for less than two years after serving as mayor of a city of fewer than 10,000 people can be prepared to assume the presidency if necessary. The issue, some Palin skeptics say, takes on heightened importance because McCain is 72 and has had health issues.

The debate over Palin's experience comes after months of Republicans questioning whether Democratic presidential nominee Obama is sufficiently experienced to lead the nation, having spent less than four years in the U.S. Senate after serving in the Illinois Senate.

Illinois Republicans are drawing a distinction between the nature of Palin's experience and Obama's.

"Here we have a governor who has held chief executive office for several years, not just as a governor, but as a mayor. She knows how to make decisions, and, quite frankly, you don't get a lot of that in the Senate," said Ron Gidwitz, who unsuccessfully sought his party's gubernatorial nomination in 2006.

Alternate delegate Suzi Schmidt, a Lake County Board member, agreed that Palin's executive experience exceeds Obama's and added, "I find her to be so refreshing and a bit of a maverick."

Monday's revelation that 17-year-old Bristol Palin is pregnant and will marry her boyfriend further roiled the political waters, raising questions about McCain's vetting process. Illinois Republicans here are asserting that news of the pregnancy does not create message problems for a party that generally calls abstinence-only education the one effective means of pregnancy prevention among teens.

"You do your best as a parent, but ultimately it's how you respond to different situations that come your way," said Peter Roskam, 6th District congressman from Wheaton. " I think (Sarah Palin) is responding with grace and love for her daughter, and I think there are a lot of folks that can relate to that."

State Sen. Dave Syverson, of Rockford, added "I think what it does is show what the term 'compassionate conservative' really is. People have a belief that, for example, somehow that if a girl becomes pregnant that they put a scarlet letter on her and put her away. It's just the opposite. What Sarah has shown is that children make mistakes and yet the family loves her and embraces her and supports her, which is really what I think the message is all about."

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