Insta-take:
Expectations were very low for Palin and she exceeded them. She had a fair number of wobbly moments, but no real viral YouTube moment that struck me. Tonight made me realize that something missing from her ABC and CBS interviews, to disastrous effect, was that charming, spunky, confident everywoman, a side she effectively showed off tonight. ("You betcha!") Her faux-casual reference to rape, however, stands out for me as a shocking moral stain on her performance.
Biden was about right--neither too hot nor too cold. His points sometimes digressed more than Palin's, but what he lacked in crispness he made up for in stature and confidence. And his multiple references to Scranton went over nicely in Pennsylvania, no doubt.
Bottom line: She won't be off the ticket, but there will be no second round of Palinmania, either. This was a highly entertaining cultural spectacle which probably won't have much effect on a race that is now clearly Obama's to lose.
--Michael Crowley