Sarah Palin Attacks Obama In Speech

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin defended herself against criticism that she's inexperienced, saying she carried a bigger load as a small- town mayor than Democrat Barack Obama ever has.``Since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves,'' Palin, 44, said tonight at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. ``I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a `community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities.''

Obama, 47, a first-term Illinois senator, has held up his work as a community organizer in Chicago as part of a record that he said shows his ability to lead. Palin, now the governor of Alaska, took aim at that approach and showcased in her first address to a nationwide audience the issues she and presidential hopeful John McCain will tackle.Palin is seeking to dispel questions about her qualifications and self-described status as a reformer that have swirled since she became McCain's running mate on Aug. 29. Palin is also trying to move past the attention drawn by the disclosure that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant.