Overall I thought the interview was decent.  Sarah Palin did look nervous, at least compared to her composure at other events.  She also looked nervous in the beginning of her convention speech but grew more comfortable as time went on.  I sensed this same increase in comfort level as the interview went on.  This is a big interview for her and she is a newcomer but it seems like she was easing up as she realized Charlie Gibson is just some dolt in a sweater vest.  I liked how She pushed back when Gibson was sweeping aside her emphasis on the importance of a leaders will to reform government.

I thought her answer as to whether she was ready to be Vice President was well worded, but her body language suggested nervousness and may lead some to believe there are conflicting messages there.  Her line about "not blinking" was well delivered however and impressed me personally.  His accusation of Hubris was a bit of a cheap shot but she handled it well.

Her emphasis on energy, an area of obvious expertise for her, strengthened her image when it comes to foreign policy.  Whatever lack of knowledge she may have in other areas, energy and American dependence on foreign oil is absolutely one of the most important aspects of foreign policy and national security.  Charlie Gibson seemed like he tried to brush this aside but she pressed back and good for her, energy is directly related to alot of the vulnerabilities America has to hostile regimes.  Sorry Gibson, it's not climate change. 

Her response to Israel was a disciplined response.  When talking about a potential nuclear war, you need to stick to a rigid stance and not say anything during a campaign which could ignite further tensions.  Gibson pressed her on this, she stood strong.

Gibson pressed her hard on Pakistan and again, she was disciplined in her answer.  She can't say too much on such a fragile issue.  She didn't take any options off the table but did not give anything away either.  Good answer, though Gibson seemed unsatisfied he couldn't bait her into contradicting McCains stance on not invading our ally.

Her remarks about defending Georgia against Russia are already being taken out of context by blogs.  Ukraine and Georgia should be in NATO, that is her stance and under Article V of the NATO treaty if any member is attacked the others must come to its defense.  Putting countries like Georgia and Ukraine in NATO would be meant to deter Russia from reasserting their influence over them.  If Russia did attack one of the countries and a war started as a reult, that would be Russias fault.  In no way was Sarah Palin war mongering or suggesting we should invade Russia.  Perhaps some people just don't know exactly how NATO works or how dangerous Putin is.

The Bush Doctrine question will most likely be the one the blogs pick up on but I saw it as a gotcha question.  I follow politics and world affairs pretty closely and I didn't even know what the Bush doctrine was exactly.  I thought it had to do with zero tolerance for nations who harbored terrorists but Gibson is under the belief it is a promotion of pre-emptive strikes and war.  He could have just told her that when she first asked, but he went for the gotcha moment.  He wasn't looking for a true answer at that point and came across rather condescending.  I personally don't think it was a big deal, i doubt the regular voter will give a damn, she gave her answer and the real issue here is how she would approach foreign policy.

The question about her statements in church about Gods Will was misleading.  They cut out what she said and made her sound like some kind of holy warrior, a term Gibson even referred to which was unfair I thought.  She explained herself well, especially with the reference to Lincoln but Gibson seemed relentless in trying to get her to admit that God said to her in a dream that we must go around invading countries.  He was looking for another Gotcha moment.  I believe he failed, especially since he took her original words completely out of context.  Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan and so many other leaders have referenced God's will in a similar way, that God is not on our side but that we be on Gods side.

her exact words were:

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

I got the impression that Charlie Gibson was a professor giving an oral exam to a student he expected to fail.  He came across as condescending and smug.  Palin did look initially nervous but seemed to ease up as the interview went on, I look forward to the next two parts.  Overall Gibson gave a decent interview, I want Palin to face tough interviews, but his attitude and dishonest and inaccurate mis-quote of her speech in church gave hints of a hatchet job.  Tough but fair is what I want.