She --flat lined-- after 15 minutes. Biden weathered that and then scored huge (watching CNN)

[underpants]

CNN had a running graph at the bottom of the screen of Ohio Independent voters-a Men and Women line.

IRAQ is killing them. Any mention of it by Biden saw the line shoot up and any mention of it by Palin saw a sharp drop. This still resonates.



After the aw shucks downhome stuff of the first 15 minutes she flat lined usually right at the middle both men and women. She scored when she mentioned Wall Street greed and drilling (they have sold that well) but for the most part even if she could raise the line it usually just sat there. It did surge up at the end of her segments but that could have been the corny "proud to be an American" red-white-and-blue stuff. In fact Ifill just mentioning "Governor Palin" saw a sharp drop. "Maverick" wore off and was detrimental after the first 15 minutes for her.

Her negatives attacks actually took the line UNDER the middle something that never happened to Biden. Her negative attacks on Obama didn't register, his on McCain and Bush (he could have mentioned Cheney more) registered.

She did do well in terms of connecting with the camera. She is clearly comfortable in front of the TV. Biden didn't look at the camera at the beginning at at all.

Biden ravenously attacked McCain and smartly let any prickly points (his previous statements about Obama) pass and moved on. Biden was clearly more in more control of specifics while Palin just used rah-rah talk radio blabber over and over and over. Watching the CNN line at the bottom of the screen it didn't register after the third time. He did leave some lines sitting like "Yeah Obama voted 96% of the time AGAINST Bush" but that, especially at the beginning could have come off as too mean towards her.

Biden showed himself to be an elder statesman and she basically got herself back up to the waterline. Palin did not show relevance or gravitas but she did get back to where she should have been, her staying power seems to have been about 2 weeks, but that is not at the level most people are going to expect for that position.