Sarah Palin Thinks Barack Obama Will Regret Not Picking Hillary Clinton

Palin Emphasizes Blue Collar Roots, Conservative Credentials

In her debut on the party's ticket, Palin emphasized her blue collar roots, describing herself as "just your average hockey mom in Alaska" and her husband as a member of a steelworkers union.

And some female supporters of Hillary Clinton have been slow to accept Obama as the Democratic nominee.

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Though many liberal women say they would not vote for Palin, whose positions on issues such as abortion rights and stem cell research contrast sharply with those of Clinton, the McCain-Palin ticket has pulled into a dead heat with Obama-Biden in recent national polls.

Some of McCain's biggest gains in the most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll are among white women, a group to which Palin has notable appeal: Sixty-seven percent view her favorably, and 58 percent say her selection makes them more confident in McCain's decision-making.

Among those with children, Palin does better yet. And enthusiasm for McCain among his female supporters has soared.

White women have moved from 50-42 percent in Obama's favor before the conventions to 53-41 percent for McCain now, a 20-point shift that's one of the single biggest post-convention changes in voter preferences.

In light of such success, Palin's nod to Clinton may not be entirely unexpected

Follownig ABC News' interview with Palin, Obama campaign surrogates were quick to respond.

"Sarah Palin should spare us the phony sentiment and respect. Governor Palin accused Senator Clinton of whining and John McCain laughed when a questioner referred to her by using a demeaning expletive. John McCain and Sarah Palin represent no meaningful change, just the same failed policies and same divisive, demeaning politics that has devastated the middle class," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.