John McCain & Sarah Palin Up Close and Personal in Lancaster, Pa.

The lines to see the GOP presidential ticket were literally around the block Tuesday.

Supporters from both sides of the partisan aisle (and even some from the aisle itself) who happened to be near the front of the long lines outside Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. told me they had arrived anywhere from 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. to see Arizona Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rally them into a frenzy at 3:30 p.m.

They were not disappointed.

Nestled in at the rally, the sound was deafening, even before McCain and Palin arrived. Local elected officials (who are virtually all Republicans in Lancaster County) revved the crowd into a delirium and a country-rock band belted out pro-GOP tunes like “Raisin’ McCain” and Dolly Parton's "Straight Talk."

Near the top of F&M's gymnasium, the national press corps was set up like birds on perches. I mingled along the landing that bordered the enormous hall, I met and spoke with G. Terry Madonna, a renowned pundit and director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy at F&M College. Terry and I’ve known each other for years, so I asked him if he’d ever seen an election in which the public was so engaged and ready to take action.

“Kennedy’s election was pretty close,” he told. “You didn’t have the Internet and bloggers and the meet-ups that you have today. It was mostly through your party then. Now, millions of people can get involved. In that respect, it’s very different.”

Madonna said Palin’s addition to the ticket has translated into an enormous bounce for McCain.

“It’s the largest convention bounce since Bill Clinton’s [16-point jump] in 1992,” Madonna said.

Although Democrats have had better registration gains, Madonna is convinced that Palin now gives Republicans a chance. “The Democrats are pretty enthusiastic about their registration gains,” Madonna said. “The enthusiasm gap was pretty severe between the Rs and the Ds in the Democrats’ favor, and Palin has helped close that gap.”

When McCain and Palin finally arrived, it was difficult to hear either of the reporters sitting next to me. That's when it hit me: what makes this GOP ticket different from those of the last 20 years, is that the candidates in this election truly are stars. As first Palin, then McCain spoke, the script was largely the same, but there were a few new twists. The most notable of these was McCain's revival of his old concern about his opponent's lack of experience.

After the event, McCain, then Palin spoke with supporters outside who were unable to watch the rally due to fire code restrictions.

And then they were off, the roar of the crowds behind them, the call of the road ahead.

An abridged version of this story is available in photo gallery format.