She did it. By most counts, Sarah Palin surpassed expectations last night or -- at the very least -- both she and Biden managed to steer clear of gaffes. That said, Palin still was unable to convince all that she was nothing more than a neophyte. Today's buzz: She held her own but does it matter?
- The NYT editorial board was not impressed. Palin did well because the standards by which everyone measured her were so low, it editorialized. Take-away: "In the end the debate did not change the essential truth of Ms. Palin's candidacy: Mr. McCain made a wildly irresponsible choice that shattered the image he created for himself."
- Palin killed it, editorializes the WSJ. She was successfully able to hold her own against Biden. Take-away: "Mr. McCain can nonetheless thank Ms. Palin for defending him with energy and confidence, and thus disappointing those in the media who wanted to see her fail."
- Both VP candidates managed to navigate away from any major blunders but Palin didn't do anything to abate criticism that she is too green for office, editorialized the LAT. Take-away: "Republicans can now remove their hands from their eyes."
- The editors of the National Review said Palin's performance last night was reminiscent of her speech at the RNC when she wowed conservatives and reinvigorated the party. Take-away: "Gov. Palin, once again, confounded her critics with a strong performance."
- Arianna Huffington wrote that the only time Palin showed command of a subject was when she said "Drill, baby, drill!" Take-away: "Other than that, Palin's grasp fluctuated between wafer thin and skin deep."
