Sarah Palin made her first overseas speech in Hong Kong earlier today, addressing an audience of financial types at the CLSA Investors' Forum as part her effort to become a Serious Person. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that her 90-minute speech — during which she blamed government for the financial crisis, discussed U.S-Sino trade relations, and, of course, warned of "death panels" — elicited strong, opposing reactions from those in attendance. “The speech was wide-ranging, very balanced, and she beat all expectations,” said a member of LGT Capital Partners. "She was brilliant," a European delegate declared. Even one New Yorker who'd helped campaign for Barack Obama had words of praise for Palin. "She was articulate and she held her own," he said. "I give her credit. They’ve tried to categorize her as not being bright. She’s bright.” Of course, not everyone was quite as smitten.

“Boring, I have to say," is how one attendee put it. An Asian delegate complained, "It was almost more of a speech promoting investment in Alaska ... And she criticised Obama a lot but offered no solutions." And then there were two American delegates who walked out early, claiming that "it was awful, we couldn't stand it any longer." Unfortunately, it may be difficult to gauge Palin's speech for yourselves, since it was closed to the media after Palin "indicated that she would have to adjust her speech if reporters were present."

Palin Addresses Asian Investors [WSJ]
Palin slams Obama's spending in debut speech in Asia [AFP via Yahoo!]
Palin Attacks Fed on Hong Kong Visit, Wants ‘Responsible China’ [Bloomberg]
Palin Speaks to Investors in Hong Kong [NYT]