McCain's decision to choose Palin was undeniably a brilliant move.
His approval ratings visibly surged.
For Palin herself, it was a historic moment. She became the first female candidate in the history of the Republican presidential race, and only the second woman in U.S. history to receive a vice presidential nomination.
Before her, the only other woman to achieve this was Geraldine A. Ferraro, a congresswoman from New York who was nominated as the Democratic VP candidate in 1984.
If she helped McCain win the presidency, Palin would become the first female Vice President in U.S. history.
The strategy instantly captured the attention of voters.
After all, a U.S. presidential election is essentially a grand show. How to draw eyes, how to stay in the spotlight—slogans and gimmicks come first; actual competence is often secondary.
Once Palin became McCain's running mate, she launched into action.
At a rally in Anchorage, she gave a 36-minute speech that convincingly showcased why John McCain hadn't made a mistake choosing her.
In her address, she first introduced herself with the persona of a "regular mom."
She talked about her eldest son Track, who was deployed to Iraq, and her youngest son Trig, who was born with Down syndrome. One by one, she spoke about the five children she had with her husband Todd Palin.
Speaking of Todd, she said, "We met back in high school. After twenty years of marriage and five kids, he's still my guy."
Palin described herself as an ordinary "hockey mom."
That term comes from the North American saying "soccer mom," which refers to suburban, middle-class mothers who spend hours driving their kids to after-school activities. A "hockey mom" is a cold-weather version of that—perfect for Alaska, where Palin was governor.
She then turned to the crowd and asked, "Do you know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick!"
At the end of her speech, Palin picked up Trig—still in diapers—and cradled him in her arms.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and his campaign team were watching the live broadcast of the speech in their headquarters via NBC.
Hillary was there too—still mentally sharp despite her age.
After the speech, Hillary said, "That woman could be tough to beat."
Obama nodded silently.
One of his aides added, "She emphasized her role as a mayor, likening it to being a community organizer—only with more real responsibilities. She didn't call you out by name, but it's clear she was targeting your past work as a community organizer, Mr. Obama."
Obama nodded again. Before entering the Illinois State Senate, he had worked as a community organizer in Chicago.
"She also said she was going to Washington to serve the American people, not to seek praise from the media or cozy up to the political elite. That was another jab."
"And there's this line," the aide continued. "Some people run for office to advance their careers. Others, like John McCain, run to make change happen. That's a direct rebuttal to your campaign's change slogan."
Obama's team analyzed Palin's speech line by line, especially the more pointed remarks, so they could systematically dismantle them in future speeches.
Just then, a young assistant entered the room holding a printout.
Obama took the document and skimmed it. Then he burst into laughter.
"I'm really lucky to have that little genius Martin on our team. Look what he wrote."
He handed the pages to his aides. Even Hillary stepped over to take a look.
It was a detailed draft responding to Palin's speech.
"Sharp as hell," one senior adviser admitted, grudgingly impressed. "It could use a bit of polishing, but every rebuttal hits the mark."
More impressive was the timing—the draft had been delivered almost immediately after Palin's speech ended.
Nine days later, at a campaign rally in Virginia, Obama addressed more than 2,400 Democratic supporters.
In his speech, Obama sharply criticized McCain's policies, calling them no different from Bush's. "We've had enough of the Bush administration. Why would we elect another politician cut from the same cloth?"
Then he shouted, "America needs change!"
He followed that up with a biting metaphor to discredit McCain's talk of "change" as nothing more than old wine in a new bottle.
"You can put lipstick on a pig—it's still a pig."
It was an unmistakable jab at Palin's earlier joke: "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."
The crowd roared in approval.
Obama continued, "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. But after eight years, it still stinks. We've had enough."
That soundbite, "lipstick," instantly became a trending keyword across media outlets.
Many election watchers connected Obama's remark to Palin, who had just recently made her now-famous lipstick joke.
According to a nationwide poll by NBC and The Wall Street Journal, Obama was supported by 47% of voters. After falling behind following McCain's pick of Palin, Obama's numbers were once again on the rise.
Gallup polling showed McCain had temporarily overtaken Obama by several points after selecting Palin.
Just two months ago, Obama had been leading by 6%.
Another poll by The Washington Post in collaboration with ABC indicated that McCain's selection of Palin had successfully won over many white female voters.
Conversely, Obama's appeal to that demographic was slipping.
But after Obama fired back with his "lipstick" comment, his approval ratings climbed again—especially among elite male voters.
This was a deliberate strategy designed by Obama's campaign team. Losing white suburban housewives was inevitable, so they refocused efforts on influential men in elite circles.
Martin's speech draft had clearly anticipated this.
By using a traditionally feminine item like lipstick as satire, he helped Obama win over the male demographic.
And the strategy worked.
In just one week, Obama went from trailing by five points to just one.
After Obama's "lipstick" remark, the McCain camp hit back immediately.
A viral video ad became one of the Republican Party's most effective counterattacks.
The ad featured bold text mocking Obama:"Ready to lead? No. Ready to remove lipstick? Yes."
The McCain team also issued a statement condemning Obama's comment about "putting lipstick on a pig," calling it a malicious comparison that likened Palin to a pig. They demanded an immediate apology.
The statement accused Obama of engaging in personal attacks—behavior unbecoming of a leader.
They escalated the matter further, accusing Obama of gender discrimination, claiming his words disrespected women.