Alaska Dispatch

According to multiple sources, Sarah Palin is scheduled to deliver the keynote address to the CLSA investor's conference in Hong Kong tomorrow, Sept. 23. There really aren't that many new details to the story, but there are some tidbits worth passing along. According to a largely re-cap CNN story on Palin's appearance, the Hong Kong media isn't really focusing on Palin's visit because its citzens don't seem to care. One retired investor from Australia visiting Hong Kong told CNN that she was excited to see Palin, but, "I don't know what platform she would be coming from that would have any relevance to anyone in investing." As for the content of her speech to the conference, it's anyone's guess. A report from Hong Kong in The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Newswire" blog quotes CLSA chief executive Jonathan Slone saying that the organization has asked her to discuss, "U.S. foreign policy, as well as her views on governance, health care and China." Slone also told Agence France-Presse (via host Google News) that CLSA decided to close the speech to members of the press because Palin indicated that she would have to say "different things" if the press corps was in attendance. Needless to say, people on both sides of the Palin divide are itching to get a copy of the speech. Several blogs sympathetic to Palin say that because details of the speech's content are sure to leak out afterward, it's in Palin's best interest to publish the full text somewhere online. Blogs critical of Palin are saying that Palin won't do that because the "different things" she mentioned not being able to say in front of the press are likely statements critical (on foreign soil) of President Obama. Either way, the CLSA has closed keynote addresses to the press before. In the meantime, hang tough, Palin junkies. Tomorrow we'll probably all get another big bump.