Since I'm still typing on a keyboard with 3 keys missing, I'll keep this short.
I won't deny that Palin was well-coached and therefore did as good a job as anyone had a right to expect from her. She had a lot of note cards on her podium, and she was constantly referring to them. It was kind of funny when she said, "ooh, can I talk about Afghanistan?" Like, Afghanistan was on her note cards and she wanted to make sure she could check it off her list. Overall, her performance was strong, but she spoke quickly, which betrayed a definite nervousness.
Biden, on the other hand, was fantastic. He was confident, sharp, and brimming with details. He did not appear "condescending" to the governor - in fact, I don't see how he could possibly have done so considering Palin's performance. He delivered a lot of sharp jabs - the "Bridge to Nowhere" line about the McCain health care plan is apparently already being used in an Obama ad this morning.
Several polls are giving the debate to Biden, with uncommitted voters also giving him the edge.
Overall, this debate neither put the election out of reach for McCain-Palin, as I had hoped it would, nor did it really change the dynamics of the race. Obama is still going to be surging in the polls, and I think we're still in for a big victory in November.
