1. I’ve never been much of a Huck man. I particularly disliked his below-the-belt populism against Mitt during the primaries. But I’ve always admired his ability to talk. (Something in the Arkansas water.) And he gave a superb speech last night.

2. Called the press coverage of the Palins in the last few days “tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert.” Fantastic.

3. He did a top-notch job on race, civil rights, and the ’08 election: “So, I say with sincerity that I have great respect for Senator Obama’s historic achievement to become his party’s nominee — not because of his color, but with indifference to it. Party or politics aside, we celebrate this milestone because it elevates our country.

“But the presidency is not a symbolic job, and I don’t believe his preparation or his plans will lift America up.”

4. This was outside the box — wonderfully so: “But there are some things we never want to change — freedom, security, and the opportunity to prosper.” So very, very good (responding to this change mantra). And, of course, classically conservative.

5. “Barack Obama’s excellent adventure to Europe” — fantastic. (Or should I say fantastico, or fantastique?)

6. Let me start over, and quote more: “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. It’s not what he took there that concerns me. It’s what he brought back. Lots of ideas from Europe he’d like to see imported here.

“Centralized governments may care for you from cradle to grave, but they also control you. Most Americans don’t want more government — they want a lot less.”

In my “Pointlets on Mitt,” I said how pleased and relieved I was that, at last, someone had compared today’s Democrats to Western European socialists. And Huck did the same.

7. “I really tire of hearing how the Democrats care about the working guy as if all Republicans grew up with silk stockings and silver spoons. In my little hometown of Hope, Arkansas [!], the three sacred heroes were Jesus, Elvis, and FDR — not necessarily in that order.”

Fabulous.

8. There was plenty of humor and folksiness in this speech. (I confessed in this blog before that I didn’t quite understand the school-desks-and-veterans bit, but must be just me.) Few do high-level cornpone as well as Huck. But beyond that, the speech had real philosophical meat. In laying out the differences between the two parties — in a way advantageous to the Republicans, of course — it reminded me why I gravitated to the GOP, years ago. And that is high praise.

9. I said of Romney that I hope his political career is not yet over. And I say the same of Huck.