Sarah Palin may arguably be the most risky VP choice...ever. But she sure is popular! We won't know until Nov 4 whether it's, you know, prom queen popular or let's all look at the car crash popular , but still! People like to watch! Even more than they wanted to watch Barack Obama and John McCain, the two people actually running President. The early numbers from last night are trickling in and Livefeed is reporting it may be the most watched debate in 16 years.

Last night's event totaled a 45.0 overnight meter-market household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That's 42% higher than Friday's presidential debate between top-of-the-ticket contenders John McCain and Barack Obama, which scored a collective 31.6 rating among broadcast and cable networks.

It's also a stunning 60% higher than the 2004 debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. In fact, the early figure surpasses any presidential debate since 1992's second bout between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush (which received a 46.3 rating).

The 55-market measurement will likely decrease slightly when Nielsen releases total national viewers later today. If the rating stays above 43.6, it will mean Thursday night was the highest-rated vp debate in TV history, surpassing 1984's most-watched record holder between George Bush and Geraldine Ferrarro.