Palin reassures conservatives, appeals to the “let’s vote for a woman crowd” (which shouldn’t be over-identified with Hillaryites, though they’re part of it), and reinforces McCain’s message of reform — she’s a fresh face who has defined herself in opposition to traditional Alaska Republican corruption.  Her speech just now was underwhelming to say the least, however. The longer she spoke, the less interesting she seemed, and her voice is not particularly mellifluous.  I suspect, then, that the more exposure she gets on the campaign trail and in debate with Biden, the more her star will fade. At first I thought she was far and away a savvier political pick than, say, Romney or Pawlenty would have been.  Now I’m not so sure.