In the youtube clip I posted above, there are already over one million three hundred thousand hits on her performance and it has only been a few days. She has already won imho and it has nothing to do with whether or not she wins the IDOL competition.
Great talents have their own unique style and I think Jessica has that. She has a unique look and she has a unique stage presence and unbelievable vocal abilities. When I think of the great talents, I think of Judy Garland who was a timeless performer. Jessica can be that good imho.
One other thing, Dollie Parton wrote that song and performs it wonderfully. It almost seems like the media has deemed it Whitney Houston's song and I don't see it that way for a number of reasons.