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Sarah Palin didn’t make a speech — but that didn’t stop her from stealing the show at a big Republican fundraising dinner in Washington last night. The Alaska governor’s appearance was a question mark up until the last minute… and followed weeks of an on-again, off-again saga.

Palin had originally been announced as the keynote speaker, but her office said she never confirmed the attendance. Later they wanted to know if she would speak at the dinner; party leaders said she could but then took back the invitation… worried that Palin would upstage Newt Gingrich, the new keynote speaker. Lots of drama.

But Palin, along with her husband Todd, got big cheers from the audience when they were introduced onstage last night; and their table was the only one in the ballroom with a crowd around it.

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