The professor and the student

If McCain-Palin campaign leaders thought that Charlie Gibson would be the gentlest choice to be interview veep-nominee Sarah Palin, they were wrong. In clips of the much-anticipated interview aired last night on "World News" and "Nightline," ABC's Gibson seemed to revel in the role he long aspired to and finally achieved: network chief anchor, gravitas included. This wasn't the sunny figure we all got to know on "Good Morning America;" here, Gibson resembled nothing so much as a tough-as-nails grumpy professor, grilling a questionable student in an oral exam. And Palin came off as an eager-but-nervous student who had pulled an all-nighter to cram for the test.

(Addendum: I'm looking forward to tonight's follow-up "20/20" special, but I really can't wait for this week's "Saturday Night Live," especially given these rumors.)

(Double addendum: Next week, the Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity gets his own Palin interview. It's scheduled to air next Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 p.m.)