Here's the takeaway from last week’s vice presidential debate and the scariest messaging on Sarah Palin.

Republicans are orgasmic. They’re charming Sarah, the one that seduced the nation from the podium in St. Paul has returned! The fumbling, uncertain but filled with bravado Sarah from the Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric interviews is gone! No more embarrassment. No more holding one's breath. Onward to November fourth!

Okay. It's true. She was very good in her debate with Joe Biden. Strong, confident, folksy, in control. So in control she even had the chutzpah to dictate the terms of the debate--"I'm not going to answer the questions the way you or the moderator want." So in control she confidently turned almost every question into an opportunity for a McCain-Palin infomercial.

But there is a downside to all of this Republican euphoria.

I've coached many politicians in debate prep. It's an exercise in total immersion. To produce 90 minutes of great debate takes weeks of planning, days of practice, a crush of mind power from campaign managers, savvy public relations experts, policy experts from many arenas and the best speech writers in the party. It also takes time for the candidate to exercise, rest, maybe get a massage and get into "the zone."

Given all of this, the former beauty pageant pro will always be impressive. She is a polished performer.

But, this is crazy. No politician has this kind of luxury on a regular basis and America will not be able to stop, to suspend its national life, while vice president, or president, Palin gets her performance together.

So here's the bottom line on the debate. There are two Sarah Palin's, "Convention Sarah"--polished and supremely prepared, and "Miss South Carolina Sarah"--the non-substantive politician who has always gotten by on her charm and ability to B.S. an answer in order to make it to the buzzer. If elected, in a crisis, at a press conference, on the run, we have four full years of incoherent Charlie Gibson Bush Doctrine, Katie Couric Supreme Court and last week’s powers of the vice presidency (an issue they clearly forget to prep her on) answers to look forward to.

No, even those answers were not as bad as the poor, over-her-head Miss South Carolina, but given the arena Ms. Palin is playing in, they were actually worse.

Republicans love actors and performers and, I guess, value the ability to prep and perform while, ironically, bashing Hollywood and the out-of-touch entertainment community. Think about it. It's only Republicans who actually bring forth, nominate and try to elect actors--Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Senator George Murphy, Clint Eastwood, Sonny Bono, Love Boat’s Fred Grandy and even athletic performers like Steve Largent and Lynn Swann.  What Sarah Palin brings to the table might truly be what Republicans value and pray for in a candidate.

There is nothing wrong with performers running for office, but after eight years of a president who could prep for a debate and read a teleprompter but never transcend the most simplistic and embarrassing parade of sound bites and talking points in his unscripted "performances," I believe America and the world are ready for a president and a vice president who don't need prep in order to sound like they know what they're talking about.  We deserve better than that.