ST. PAUL, the United States, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Alasksa Governor Sarah Palin accepted vice presidential nomination and touted her "reformer" image Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

    "I am honored to accept the nomination and I accept the challenge of a tough fight," she said as she began her first national speech.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and his wife Cindy (R) greets his running mate, vice presidential candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (3rd R) and her family after arriving at the airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota Sept. 3, 2008. Palin stands with (L-R) her daughter Piper, her daughter Willow holding her infant son Trig, Levi Johnston, boyfriend of daughter Bristol, and Palin's husband Todd. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    "I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom," she told the audience.

    "I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone," Palin said, touting her "reformer" reputation.

    She also touched upon the energy policies that she and the Republican presidential candidate John McCain will implement.

    "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems," she said.

    "Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines, build more nuclear plants, create jobs with clean coal and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers," she added.

    Palin also praised McCain, saying he is the man to lead the nation. "Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

    Palin blasted Democratic rival Barack Obama, saying he "wants to forfeit" while victory is "finally in sight."

    "It's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state Senate," she said.

    Palin, whose youngest child has Down syndrome, also promised families of special-needs children will have "a friend and advocate in the White House."

    As she took the stage, the crowd waved banners reading "Hockey moms for Palin" and shouted, "We love you, Sarah."

    Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani warmed up the crowd by continuing the barrage on Obama Wednesday night, calling him a "celebrity senator" with no leadership experience.

    Earlier, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee got the crowd cheering when he ripped Obama for looking to Europe for ways to change America.

    "Barack Obama's excellent adventure to Europe took his campaign for change to hundreds of thousands of people who don't even vote or pay taxes here," he said.

    Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney earlier blasted "liberal Washington," saying McCain is a "prescription for every American who wants change in Washington."

    Palin's address is sure to generate a lot of attention, because McCain surprised many political observers last week with his selection of Palin over better-known contenders.

    McCain joined Palin and her family on stage immediately after she completed her speech.

    Palin's speech was nearly marred by a pair of activists from the antiwar group CodePink, who got to the very edge of the stage and were a moment away from apparently running onto it, next to a host of McCain's most senior staff, until the Secret Service grabbed them at the last minute and dragged them out.

    Palin's speech came as the McCain campaign sought to put an end to media scrutiny of the process by which the Arizonan picked his running mate, including a Washington Post report that Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and that she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting.

    The convention later formally nominated McCain and Palin as their presidential and vice presidential nominee.