update: I think Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom had the best summary:

Dick Cheney smokes imported cigars, drinks double Scotch neat from a chunky tumbler, and talks to his friends about dames and gams and stock options. John Edwards wants to be a fireman when he grows up. Bless his li’l heart.

original post:Paraphrasing, "if you can't stand up to Howard Dean, how can you expect to be trusted to stand up to Al Queda."

Substance-wise, Edward got hammered, especially during the first half, just as Kerry was in the Presidential debate. No discernible message, no viable plan, just whining about distortions. Stylistically, Edwards appeared to be one of those yappy barking dogs on the safe side of the fence from a much bigger dog; He was beaten as bad on style by Cheney as Bush was beaten by Kerry.

update: Michele says it was Han Solo vs. Luke (scroll down about half way). I think the analogy holds across the ticket.