Well, the longest, lamest night of the RNC is finally over (isn't it? Please, God, tell me Tom Ridge isn't still talking...) and where are we?

The new CBS poll says that Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain are tied, but this is a poll of adults--not even registered voters, much less likely voters--so it's of dubious value.

However, Gov. Palin had 40 million viewers Wednesday night, far more than Sen. Biden, and almost as many as Sen. Obama. That despite the fact that BET, Univision and two other major cable networks that carried Obama's speech didn't carry hers.

The media has taken yet another beating.  I wrote about it in the Boston Herald, and the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz asked me about it, too.  Perhaps the most unintentionally hilarious moment was when Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews concluded three days of "She oughtta stay home with them babies!" talk by actually claiming on the air that they never criticized Palin as a mom.  Amazing.

But the only thing that really matters is how this week has set up John McCain for the coming battle.  Answer: Pretty well.  A presidential race that was becoming unwinnable for the GOP is competitive.  The base is energized. The ratings were great.  And the one message that people tuning in likely took away is "McCain and Palin are rocking the boat."

Which brings us to the best news of the week for those of us who love talking politics: The next two months will be anything but boring.