I personally think it is a little more difficult to beat Katie Couric or any interviewer for that matter when they edit their interviews before airing them and also meet w/ the other candidates foreign advisors etc. to sabotage the interview. Oratory and communication skills are easily obtained with practice if she decides to run for national office again - what’s harder to establish is character, charisma and conservative values. I like to give people the benefit of doubt before casting stones and assuming they are not capable. It’s times like those (for me personally) when I actually come out stronger and tougher to prove people wrong - she strikes me as the same type of person (but again that’s years away so we will see).
In the business, it's called "live to tape". Why the McCain camp didn't insist on this as a precondition for all of her interviews is completely lost on me.
As for your learning curve point, I think it's valid. Perhaps Palin has taken valuable lessons from this campaign which she can apply to her next.
But, I think the larger point I was trying to make in my earlier posts is still correct. Palin's inability to deal with tough, uncomfortable questions was her downfall - everything else could have been managed. She gave the club to the Media and they beat her over the head with it.