Sarah Palin’s keynote address before the CLSA Forum in Hong Kong, arranged amidst considerable secrecy, has ended.

(News reports: AP1, AP2, AFP, Bloomberg, WSJ, HuffPo, Guardian, The Times)

The Palin team’s habitual secrecy has achieved two objectives. First, it has allowed Palin to stick to what Karl Rove confirmed was an extensively prepared - and almost certainly completely scripted - talk. This rail-bound mentality was not lost on the keynote’s attendees, who complained that she only took pre-approved questions and spoke far too much about the only area of her expertise, Alaska. It seems clear that the lesson the Palin team has taken from the gaffes of the 2008 electoral campaign is that Palin must be kept “on-message”, to the exclusion of any spontaneity or unprompted interaction whatsoever.

(This is, in Palmerston’s view, further evidence in support of John Cleese’s assessment of Sarah Palin as woefully unfit to govern - and when even the comedian thinks you’re a joke…)

Second - and most importantly - the air of secrecy (including the protestations that Palin would have to change the content of her speech if the media were allowed in) has, inevitably, built up the hype around Palin’s speech, ensuring that what she said was perceived as far more profound and interesting than it actually was. The Democratic political machine inadvertently hit the nail on the head - what Palin refused to say in public was, almost by definition, much more interesting than what she was willing to say in public.

Much to the disappointment of anyone who read the spoof speech in HK Magazine, the news reports suggest that Palin stuck to largely predictable populist lines, with the only “surprise” being a dig at the Republican establishment. Given the fundamental disagreements between the Palin-populist wing of the GOP and the commercial-industrial wing, even this is not nearly as surprising as Cameron Sinclair suggests.

So, in conclusion: initially overhyped and ultimately underwhelming - much like her electoral campaign. If nothing else, it’s a good way to build publicity for her upcoming book.

Update (23:59): The Wall Street Journal has reproduced part of Palin’s speech on its Washington Wire blog.
Update (24 September, 12:56): Included reference to The Times’ article. ?