1. Steps on the story of Obama's speech (and convention), and possibly the bounce coming from them, and wipes them off the news cycle. The Sunday news shows will be all-Palin, all of the time. 2. Sends Republicans into their convention on a huge head of steam. 3. Wipes out the image of McCain as the crotchety elder and brings back that of the fly-boy and gambler, which is much more appealing, and the genuine person. 4. Revs up the base AND excites independents, which no one else in the party, or perhaps in the world, could have accomplished. 5....