Alaska Governor Sarah Palin canceled an appearance at a pro-life event this afternoon in St. Paul, but the crowd still cheered at her name.
Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum said the group had scheduled Palin two months ago, but her appearance was canceled last night.
“I don’t think it was a smart thing to do because this is the cream of the pro-life movement. I think it was a mistake,” Schlafly said. “However, we’re certainly enthusiastic about Sarah Palin and the ticket. What she has done is make people be enthusiastic about John McCain. That’s really an achievement.”
Several hundred people packed into the event where talk show host Laura Ingraham took Palin’s place.
“The cause of life is the driving line in our culture, and it has been for decades,” Ingraham said. “Sarah Palin is a woman who dared to cross that line.”
The crowd, dressed in cowboy hats and red, white, and blue colors, seemed more excited about Palin than Sen. John McCain. One man plastered the name “Sarah Palin” on with duck tape to his black t-shirt.
Two protesters interrupted the event, one holding a hot pink sign that said “pro-life = universal health care.” The crowd erupted into chanting “Sarah. Sarah. Sarah.”
