Palin: Obama dissed Clinton, women

Sarah Palin, in her debut speech as the Republican vice presidential nominee nearly two months ago, made sure to pay tribute to Democrat Hillary Clinton and her historic presidential campaign.

Today in Nevada, flanked by female supporters, she renewed that pitch to female voters in a way that seemed to accuse Democrat Barack Obama of only paying lip service to women.

"Our opponents think they have the women’s vote all locked up, which is a little presumptuous since only our side has a woman on the ticket,” she said, according to press accounts. "When it came time for choosing a vice president, somehow Barack Obama just couldn't bring himself to pick a woman who got 18 million votes in the primary."

Telling the crowd in Henderson that it was a "too familiar story," Palin added. "The qualifications were there, but for some reason the promotion never comes. There's always some long explanation ... some unseen barrier, some excuse."

Obama and Clinton campaigned together Monday in Florida, and enthusiastically praised each other. Obama said that Clinton had inspired his two daughters and women everywhere.

While some of Clinton's most ardent backers were upset that she was not offered the V.P. slot, recent polls suggest that the vast majority are supporting Obama over Republican John McCain.