Sarah Palin's fascinating rhythm

This year’s presidential campaign is filled with interesting word choices and rhetorical devices. Like many members of the news media, I am fascinated with Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president. She seems to have struck a chord with many people, and she appears to be a good communicator. Some pundits have compared her to President Reagan and praise her folksy approach.

On the other hand, Palin has been lampooned and derided for her interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. She appears to have redeemed herself in Thursday night’s debate with the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Biden. Palin spoke directly into the camera during the debate, and she steered the debate toward topics that she wanted to address rather than the questions that the moderator asked.

This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.