Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is ‘confidence personified’ – after her vice presidential debate with Joe Biden – and this was evident during a rally in Clearwater, where she charged up an enthusiastic crowd of about 4,500 people with attacks on Barack Obama.

The Republican vice presidential nominee’s pleasure with her debate performance against Biden was obvious, as Governor Charlie Crist used the event for an applause line, saying: “Sarah really did her job on Thursday night and brought it home. … Now it’s up to us.”

At the rally, Palin once again brought up the McCain campaign’s most recent attack theme against Obama - his acquaintance with William Ayers, a professor who lives in his Chicago neighborhood who was a member of a violent, anti-Vietnam War group in the 1970s. In fact, the McCain campaign has said it intends to become more negative in the closing days of the race, after having already released a TV ad criticizing Obama for his relationship with Ayers.

Tapping yet another theme in the recent McCain ads, Palin used words such as ‘fearful’ and ‘scared’ when talking about Obama. She also questioned Obama’s patriotism, and accused him of not supporting U.S. military forces. She said: “See, John McCain is a different kind of man - he believes in our troops and their mission.”

Bringing up her advocacy of Gulf oil drilling in a Gulf coast resort town, thereby taking a political risk, Palin said “untapped energy sources in Florida will be tapped,” along with environmentally friendly offshore production. In her characteristic style, she said: “We do need to drill here and drill now. Now you can chant the ‘drill baby drill’.”

Palin also acknowledged that McCain has become the underdog in the race. Referring to the Tampa Bay Rays, she said: “Florida knows a little something about turning an underdog into a victor. How about it, Florida, let us do that for Sen. John McCain.”

The rally marked the beginning of a two-day tour for Palin, with other public appearances scheduled in Estero, Jacksonville and Pensacola; along with private fundraisers in Naples, Jacksonville and Boca Raton.