I thought it was sort of weird--but understandable--for Palin to ask Biden's permission, during the pre-debate handshake, to call him "Joe." But when did she get permission from Obama to call him Barack? That's something her runningmate resolutely refused to do. It is interesting, though, that the younger candidates--Obama and Palin--refer to their opponents by their first names, while Biden and McCain use formal titles to refer to theirs.
--Jason Zengerle