What a strange phenomenon last night’s debate was! Not the “debate” itself, in which platitudes were exchanged and slogans swapped in lieu of dialogue or actual debate, but the fact that so many tuned in to see what some hoped and some feared would be a train wreck, or the very least a sort of personal meltdown… 

What fools these mortals be! Did anyone, outside of Keith Olbermann, really think that if Sarah Palin had made a complete fool of herself (which she avoided, barely) the nation would notice? Or that it would be acknowledged in the post-debate spin zones, where truth is redefined almost immediately? All the GOP needed was for the governor to not shoot herself in the head, or call Gwen Ifill the N word (same thing) and they could declare victory. Making McCain’s pick of this woefully unqualified person not the lead story any more but just a publicity stunt that grew into a reality. Now that the critics who questioned her qualifications have been momentarily quieted, the senator from Arizona can get back to addressing his real area of expertise: the economy.

History will be kind to those early Cassandras on the right, though, people like Peggy Noonan who suggested JMC lost the election when he tapped her. Next to the Wall Street tsunami, Squeaky Sarah seems like a minor concern. Until you remember that her place on the ticket represents his first executive decision. So as the waters swamp the boat, and you see the captain has brought a clown to help him man the life rafts, you might well wonder if this is the right guy to put in charge.

Biden was strangely subdued for the first hour. He looks like an old fighter who has already gone 12 rounds —  and he’s still got a month to go! But he warmed up before the bell; though the media seems to have liked his questioning of McCain’s “maverick” status most, I thought the highlight of the show was when he choked up talking about seeing his son in the hospital. He showed real emotion and reminded those watching at home that no one party has a lock on parenting and all the trials and challenges that come with it.  He spoke from the heart, and didn’t need to memorize the words.