Last night was for the hard right base. They don't care if Palin lied (she did, a lot), or if she was snide and sarcastic (she was, and it just made them like her more), or if there was an utter lack of policy substance in her speech (there wasn't much). She also did nothing to demonstrate her preparedness to step into the Presidency at a moment's notice (it will take more than reading a teleprompter well--just saying), but Republicans as a whole don't care about governing. Winning elections is more like winning a football game to them.
Anyway, Giuliani and Palin gave the far right the red meat they wanted (probably hunted from a helicopter), and the blood is still dripping off their grinning faces.
Tonight, McCain will make a fake "move to the middle".
Oh, there will be a few jabs at Obama, and McCain will gloat about the "surge", but part of the purpose of Palin was to satisfy the right wing so McCain could distance himself from Bush and appear to be moderate. McCain will try to sound oh, so concerned about the safety and well-being of "ordinary Americans". He will pander to the middle on economics, even though in reality he is completely out of touch with these concerns.
Of course, the man who doesn't like to talk about his POW experience will somehow find it unavoidable to mention it, more than once. Those who precede him will slip and say even more about it. And somehow it will make it into his bio film, too.
McCain may not mention Bush at all, but if he does, he will ridicule the idea that he is the same as Bush. He will try to play up the "maverick" meme as much as he can, even though he may not be able to use the word about himself (unless it's a "some call me a maverick" line). He'll suddenly be the compassionate "reform" candidate who hates war and torture (after all, he spent 5 1/2 years as a POW, in case you didn't know), loves babies, and has free tax cuts to hand out all around (OK, I know, over 100 million Americans will be left out and it mostly goes to millionaires, but after all, in McCain's world, that's a middle class tax cut. ) He'll try to seem folksy, self-deprecating and "ordinary".
It'll be good for a couple point bounce for McCain, on top of a bounce for Palin (makes me sick, but some people just like whatever they heard last). McCain will pull ahead in the polls over the next four days, but then it will fade. He has little more substance than Palin, and less style. Obama has substance AND style, and the debates will eventually make these conventions seem less relevant.
In the end, this will be another very close election. Get out, donate, work hard--it never mattered more.