Following Sen. Barack Obama’s speech, accepting the nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention, it seemed that America had finally come to terms with its diversity. A man born of a biracial union, a man who experienced a very untraditional upbringing as far removed from the political elite as one can get, a man who is moving forward on his intelligence and integrity, has finally been given the opportunity to attain the highest office in the land.

But before the nation knew what had happened, in a brilliant political maneuver, the next day Sen. John McCain announced the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, and the country has been in a tailspin since. Just as Obama's historic nomination is a milestone in American politics, Palin's nomination as vice president is as well.

Palin has accomplished what many thought would not happen in this election year — she is a woman on the ticket — and as the outsider of outsiders, this woman now has the opportunity to be the next vice president of the United States.

Her nomination may be historic, but it is also an affirmation that hard work and integrity do matter, even on the national political stage.

In her speech at the RNC, Palin summed up her personal politics by saying, “...we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart. I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau ... when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good ol' boys network. Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve.”

My personal identification with Palin goes beyond sharing a gender and an age. It’s an identification with someone who speaks her mind, loves her family passionately, and who hasn’t forsaken her femininity to be accepted in a man’s domain.

Despite my admiration for her as a person, this is not an endorsement of Palin and McCain. There is much yet to learn about all of the presidential candidates and I believe votes should be attained on merit and ability, not on race or gender.

However, this is an endorsement of the courage that Palin has demonstrated in her life and in her attainment of this nomination; this is an affirmation that women are capable of being women, wives, and mothers, and still run businesses and governments; this is an acknowledgment that simply being active in a man’s world doesn’t have to mean you stop being a woman; and this is an endorsement of traditional values and admiration for the grace and fortitude she has demonstrated in the face of unprecedented criticism.

If this election year accomplishes nothing else, it has energized the country, brought national politics to a level that the average American can identify with, and has leveled the playing field between the parties, so that those elected have the first true opportunity in history to be elected solely on values and ideals.

God bless America, and may those we elect as our leaders protect our interests as fiercely as they protect their own.