Palin Digs Herself Out

Journalists score debates differently than ordinary people. They know when each candidate has ducked or fudged key nuances (is Palin really as moderate as Biden on gay rights?). But average voters wonder about things like why McCain never looked at Obama. In that sense, Palin's poise, and her skill at playing to the camera, may count for more than any particular response.

On the other side, despite the snickers of the pundits, Biden was quite disciplined and avoided any gaffes.

Biden's best moment, by far: When he choked up at the end of the debate, recalling the car accident that killed his wife and almost killed his surviving sons, and related that to the struggles of everyday people. Palin failed to acknowledge the moment, instead going into happy talk about mavericks.

Oh, and if she doesn't like the media "filter," as she said, why not do some live interviews? I'm sure plenty of shows would be happy to accommodate her.

It was clear from the pundit reaction that Palin did herself a world of good.

She "did not embarrass herself or her running mate," Katie Couric said.

"Sarah Palin didn't freeze," said George Stephanopoulos.

"She was a better surrogate for the top of her ticket than Joe Biden was for his," Chuck Todd said.

Bill Kristol was more positive: "She utterly held her own."

But not as positive as Pat Buchanan: "Sensational. . . . She wiped up the floor with Joe Biden."

Gloria Borger noted that Palin "wasn't answering the questions directly."

Ignoring the questions? "Not much humility here," Chris Matthews said.