Someone unkindly likened Sarah Palin’s heavily rehearsed performance on Thursday night to a children’s “spelling bee” contest: having memorised how to pronounce Ahmadi-Nejad correctly, she enunciated the Iranian president’s name no fewer than six times.

With more “darn it” and “say it ain’t so, Joe” quips in 90 minutes than has been heard during the entire campaign, the Alaska governor’s folksy showing put an end to the media’s “Palin death watch”.