So who won the debate last night?

It's funny. If I hadn't seen the debate with my own eyes, the noise from the main stream media might make me think that Palin last night actually was better than mediocre.

Let's put this in perspective. Let me tell you something: I regularly, yes, on a daily basis, do not swallow my tongue and choke on it. Even so, I never credit myself as having a successful day because of my ability to get through the day without swallowing my tongue.

Sarah Palin has had a horrible week. We all expected her to swallow her tongue, and she didn't, but that does not mean she was a success last evening. Any sober analysis of Sarah Palin's performance would reveal a woman who put in an abysmal performance, specifically:

1. She appears to have read crib notes to provide her answers.

2. The crib notes she read often provided answers to questions other than the ones Gwen Ifill actually had asked.

3. I assume she avoided answers to questions for which she didn't have an answer. I haven't counted the number questions she evaded, but I would hazard the guess it was easily half of them.

4. When she had exhausted her memorized and cribbed notes, she started to say, "Maverick," over and over again, as something akin to a mantra from some eastern religion.

5. She made mistake after mistake after mistake. She used a mistaken name, misrepresented the positions of numerous people, and even lied about policy positions of the McCain campaign.

She didn't swallow her tongue, but that doesn't mean she pass some test or other. It just means that she did what most people manage to do most of the time, just get by for an hour-and-a-half in a tight spot.

So who won the debate last night?

Well, according to the people who watched the debate, it actually was Joe Biden, who was informed, thoughtful, and presidential:

CNN/Opinion Research
Biden 51
Palin 36

CBS
Biden 46
Palin 21

Fox
Biden 61
Palin 39

Folks are spinning like whirling dervishes today, but Sarah Palin frankly just blew it, as we all in fact anticipated she would.