Above you can see the introductory video that was meant to be played before vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech last night at the Republican National Convention. Campaign sources have said that it was pulled because Giuliani ran too long, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was pulled because it was just plain weak. The video you'll see above looks like it was a PowerPoint made for a John Deere sales conference. The writing is hackneyed, the editing cheesy, the music is downright terrible, and not one childhood friend, co-worker, or family member offers up testimony on her behalf.

Playing the video would have driven home the point that McCain wants to brand Palin a fellow "maverick," certainly. (The video opens with a reverential narrator intoning: "Mother. Moose Hunter. Maverick." It closes with, "When Alaska's maverick joined America's maverick, the world shook, the world trembled, and the world will soon be a better place." What about Top Gun's maverick, huh? Or the one from that gambling movie with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson?) But it would have reminded voters of McCain's hasty vetting process — an incomplete video with no personal interviews? How hasty was this whole selection business?

Luckily for Palin and the Republicans, Hawaii governor Linda Lingle made a great, funny, heartfelt introduction. A video would have killed the night's momentum, and Lingle did a better job than a cheesy montage ever could have, which is to be expected. If there's one thing the Republicans should probably leave in Democratic hands, it's movie-making, eh?

RNC's Palin Bio "Mother, Moose Hunter, Maverick" On Fox News (VIDEO) [HuffPo]
Earlier: Giuliani Softens Up Democrats for Powerhouse Palin