ST. PAUL — Of course John McCain’s acceptance speech is the big deal of the GOP convention.

To update on that score, Republican officials said for the first time today that he’s likely to give it on Thursday night now that it’s clear that Gustav is no Katrina.

But perhaps the most anticipated speech will be the one from veep choice Sarah Palin, presumably on Wednesday night.  (Republicans have not made these things clear.)

People will be tuning in to her performance for many reasons, mostly to see if she is ready for prime time.

Palin has received unbounded support from other conservatives and injected some badly needed enthusiasm into the McCain effort. But polls show that the general public is far from sold.

In a CNN poll published today that showed a neck-and-neck presidential contest, half of those interviewed said that she isn’t qualified to be the nation’s No. 2. The only running mate to initially get a lower vote of confidence was Dan Quayle 20 years ago.

One-in-five said they were more likely to vote for McCain because of her, the same as said they were less likely. Could she end up being a wash?

Maybe, but millions will be tuning in to see what she has to say. Republicans like what they see so far and believe that she could be a mainstay in national politics for years to come.

“The bench for Republican women isn’t that deep,” Chuck Donovan, of the Family Research Council, remarked today. “In a bold way, it opens up the party.”

The disclosure today that Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant reinforced the need to prepare her not just for campaigning but for the media scrutiny that accompanies a politician who could end up a heartbeat away, as they say.

To educate Palin on how to handle the big time, the McCain campaign has brought aboard Tucker Eskew. Eskew, a South Carolina native, is a former Bush White House mainstay and GOP campaign operative who has been advising corporate clients on media strategy.