"Expectations for Thursday's debate are also now so low that Palin's chances of looking good have improved, they add.

"The more interviews she does, the more nervous not just moderates get, but some conservative Republicans get. But thus far they still generally see her as a benefit," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of politics at Princeton University.

"They didn't pick her to please David Brooks. They picked her to please conservative activists. If anything, the attacks on her from Saturday Night Live or from New York Times columnists will only fuel some of the resentment and excitement about her. In that respect she is still a plus for McCain."

"McCain stuck by Palin on Monday, telling a crowd in Ohio that "she will be my partner in reforming everything that's broken in Washington." On Sunday, he defended her after she contradicted his policy against talking publicly about attacking terrorist targets in Pakistan."

We could watch McCain debate Palin. That would be a hoot, as he tried to pin her down to something relevant and rational. Neither Couric nor Gibson could.

(Hypothetical statement. Not to be confused with what she's said, yet. "I believe in world peace and helping all the children. I love the sanctity of life except when a Christian God declares war on false gods and idols and then think the bastards ought to be slaughtered faster'n wolves from a helicopter. God gave us nuclear weapons and those chemicals for a reason. Think about it. And I believe in job creation more than ever.")

Arf