Palin will accept the Republican vice presidential nomination at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday night.

In her speech, Palin wants to leave no question about which ticket has a better hold on the economy, aides say.

The 44-year-old governor will emphasize her experience and understanding of the energy economy and talk about how Alaska is the "intersection of global energy markets and domestic production."

Palin will also pit John McCain against Barack Obama, making the case for the Arizona senator on the basis of policy and character."After she delivers these lines, McCain's decision to choose her will be much more obvious," said the aide, who has been working with her on the speech.

Following two days of nonstop coverage about her personal life and her pregnant teenage daughter, Palin will use her speech Wednesday night to introducer herself as a likable, funny and smart person.

"Every one in the staff has fallen in love with her," insisted the aide.

Regarding expectations for the night, another senior adviser said, "The Democrats and the media have done a great job lowering expectations. We're going to raise some expectations tonight. The elites will never give her her due, or middle America its due."

"She is going to really going to connect with blue collar voters -- illustrate that she has a common touch with an executive presence," the aide said.

Palin will also highlight her record as governor and mayor of Wasilla, according to Tucker Eskew, a top aide to the vice presidential candidate.

"She will speak as a governor, a former mayor and someone with both hands on the steering wheel of America's energy economy," Eskew said. "She will detail her record of shaking up the status quo in Alaska and standing up to entrenched interests to put the government back on the side of the people. She will make the case for Sen. McCain as the only candidate who has fought for America and the best man to protect us in dangerous times."

Eskew said Palin will also call for reform in Washington.

The Alaska governor has spent most of the past 48 hours working in a hotel room with speechwriter Matt Scully and adviser Nicolle Wallace. On Tuesday, they worked nonstop from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. She also did a read-through with the prompter at 10 p.m. -- exactly 24 hours before the real speech, the aides said.

The Republican vice presidential candidate will continue practicing and tweaking all day, working up until the minute before she leaves for the convention hall.

Palin has been educating Scully and Wallace on her experience and record as they have been helping her put the message into words. The governor has been "co-writing" with Scully, according to a source involved in the process.

Palin also took an early Wednesday morning tour of the podium at the Republican National Convention -- some 15 hours before she'll return to the stage to give what can be considered the most important speech of her life.

The Alaska governor walked through the nearly empty Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota -- site of the Republican convention, spending about 10 minutes checking out the podium, where she'll give her primetime nomination acceptance speech.

Palin told reporters she feels "great" and, as she walked off stage, answered a shouted question about the speech, saying, "I'm excited to speak to Americans. This will be good. It's about reform."