She chided Barack Obama for his frequent use of the teleprompter - but Sarah Palin proved she is not above using a handy reminder over the weekend.

The former vice presidential candidate was speaking at the first ever national 'Tea Party' convention on Saturday when she sneaked a quick - and not so subtle - peek at notes written on her hand.

The embarrassing moment was caught on film during a question-and-answer session after Mrs Palin gave a rousing speech to activists at the rally in Nashville, Tennessee, on the weekend.