"Can I call you Joe?'' Sarah Palin asks Joe Biden at the outset of the debate. (Photo by Bob Pearson / EPA)
by Mark Silva and updated at 11:00 pm EDT
Joe Biden did very well in debate tonight.
He was supposed to.
Sarah Palin did very well in debate tonight.
She had to.
So it would seem that both candidates for vice president fulfilled their missions tonight in their one and only televised debate of the canpaign.
They got personal, both speaking endearingly of their families -- Biden choking back a tear, it seemed, when it came to the death of his first wife and child in a car accident many years ago They both made their commoner's roots clear -- a friend of "Joe Six-pack,'' as Palin put it, a "Home Depot'' shopper, as Biden put it.
They both covered domestic and foreign affairs without eggregious errors, save for an occasional mispronunciation of a name, Palin botching a general's name and Biden not even mentioning it.
Biden was unfailingly polite, smiling broadly at his rival and never offending. Palin appeared somewhat nervous throughout, often speaking at a machine-gun pace. But keeping it all on the track at that speed had its certain effect, ultimately sure-footed.
But most notably, aside from the few times where they confronted and goaded one another, they both kept their gazes focused on the top of the ticket, Biden making a fiery assault on Republican John McCain -- repeatedly insisting that "he's no maverick'' -- and Palin portraying Barack Obama as a tax-and-spender who should cause pause for anyone sitting around the "kitchen table'' trying to figure out how to make ends meet, or figure out how to get health insurance, as she said her family once had done.
* * * *
"I like being able to answer these tough questions without the filter even of the mainstream media telling viewers what they've just heard,'' Sarah Palin says in her debate closer. "John McCain and I, we're going to fight for America... I've been there, I know what the hurts are... We have to fight for our freedoms also, economic and our national security freedoms.
"There is only one man in this race who has ever really fought for you,'' Palin says, "and that was John McCain.''
"Look folks, this is the most important election you've ever voted for in your entire life,'' Joe Biden says. "There is a need for fundamental change... Barack Obama and I don't measure progress toward that change by how much regulation we've got and how much CEOs are getting paid...
"In the neighborhood I grew up in it was all about dignity and respect,'' Biden says. "We believed it and we did. That's why Barack Obama and I are running, to reestablish that certitude in our neighborhoods.''
* * * *
"Say it ain't so, Joe'' - sounds like the canned line of the night. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin reeled it out so quickly and without any setup and then moved on that it came and went without claiming a ready place in the pantheon of great debate shots.
"It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider, and not used to the way you guys operate,' says Sarah Palin, ridiculing the "I was for it before I was against it'' stance of a lot of Democrats on the war in Iraq. We're getting into the scripted lines of tonight's debate, well near the end of it.
Palin says she is bringing the orientation of Main Street Wasilla to Washington. Biden says he spends a lot of time in a Home Depot. "Walk with me in my neighborhood... These people know, the middle class has gotten the short end.''
And the McCain administration offers more of the same of the Bush administration, Biden insists.
"Say it ain't so, Joe -- there you go, pointing backwards again,'' Palin says. "Doggone-it.''
"I come from a house full of schoolteachers. My grandma was,'' Palin says, with a "shout-out'' to all the third-graders in her brother's class. "You get extra credit for watching this debate.''
All the folksy stuff is thrown out there for the revolving cable news clips of the coming few days, but it didn't feel like there was much context for any of it
* * * *
Did Joe Biden just create a new class of people, the "Bosniacs?''
IIt came up during discussion of Bosnia.
No. The Obama campaign readily reminds us, and the Encyclopedia Britannica assures us that "In the 1991 census Muslims made up more than two-fifths of the Bosnian population, while Serbs made up slightly less than one-third and Croats one-sixth. From the mid-1990s, the term Bosniac had replaced Muslim as the name for this group.''
Gotta get up pretty early to trip up a 36-year member of Congress and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it seems.
* * * *
John McCain has said he'd rather lose an election than lose a war, and Sarah Palin suggests that Barack Obama is willing to lose a war.
"It would be a travesty if we quit now in Iraq,'' Sarah Palin says.
"The only odd man out here, the only man left out here is John McCain,'' Joe Biden says. "This is a fundamental difference between us. We will end this war. For John McCain, there is no end in sight.''
"Your plan is a white flag of surrender,'' Palin tells Biden. "We'll know when we're finished in Iraq when the Iraqi government can govern its people, and the Iraqi military can defend its people.''
Asked which is a greater threat, a nuclear Iran or nuclear Pakistan, Palin says they are both threats.
"An armed, nuclear armed Iran especially is so dangerous to consider. They can not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period,'' Palin says, citing the anti-Semitism of Iran's leader. "Ahmadinejad, Kim Jung-Il, the Castro brothers,'' she says, with a rapid-fire recitation of some well-known adversaries of the U.S., should not be met without "preconditions'' - digging into a dispute between McCain and Obama over negotiations with adversaries.
They "cannot be met with just sitting down with on a presidential level as Barack Obama has said he would do,'' Palin says.
"Can I clarify this? That is simply not true of Barack Obama,'' Biden says. "Five secretaries of state did say we should talk with them and sit down... Our friends and allies have been saying, sit down, talk, talk, talk... and John McCain has said he would go along with an agreement but he wouldn't sit down... Look what President Bush did. After five years he finally sent a high ranking diplomat to meet with the highest ranking diplomats in Iran.
"John McCain said... he wouldn't even sit down with the government of Spain... a NATO ally,'' Biden says. "I find that incredible.''
* * * *
They're getting into energy, and Joe Biden is complimenting Sarah Palin for the windfall oil profits tax in Alaska that has benefited people there - the same windfall oil profits tax that Barack Obama is proposing nationally.
But then Palin is calling Biden one of those "East Coast'' politicians who are preventing Alaska from drilling for oil. The problem here is that, while Palin supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, John McCain opposes it. That's what makes them mavericks, McCain has suggested - they don't always agree, but they're certainly not "boring.''
And that carries them into global warming - Palin says she doesn't want to get into the blame-game for causes, but rather wants to talk about what to do about it.
"I think it is man-made,'' Biden says, suggesting that this gets to the basic difference between the two tickets. "If you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with a conclusion.
"You've said no to everything in trying to find a domestic solution to the energy crisis we're in,'' Palin tells Biden. "With tiny footprints on land, it is safe to drill.''
* * * *
A quick foray into apparent agreement on a social matter:
"Do I support granting rights to same sex couples? Absolutely,'' Biden says. "We do support, we do support (ensuring) that committed couples in same sex marriages (are guaranteed) the same rights as traditional couples.''
"If there is any kind of suggestion from my answer that I would be anything but tolerant... about partners choosing their partners... I am tolerant,'' Palin says. "In that tolerance, also, no one would ever proposes, in a McCain Palin administration to prohibit visitations in a hospital or contract signings... But I do support marriage as between one man and one woman.
"Barack Obama nor I do not support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage,'' Biden says.
It seems, Biden says, "that we really don't have a difference.''
"Wonderful,'' moderator Gwen Ifill says. "You agree.''
* * * *
"I may not answer the questions that you or the moderator want to hear,'' Sarah Palin says, but she will handle them the way the American people want to hear them.
Palin is working on overdrive, speaking rapidly and surely. She is sure-footed at the start here, and also wound up tightly.
Joe Biden is measuring his pace, and the two are starting to have more of a conversation than a confrontation in the opening gates - thought it's plenty confrontational - "In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives (paying taxes) is not patriotic,'' says Palin, with a direct shot at Biden, who has suggested on the campaign trail that it is patriotic for wealthier Americans to pay more taxes.
The subject is health care. Obama wants to offer it to more of the uninsured, and it will take taxes to pay for it. McCain proposes a tax credit, enabling individuals to purchase their own insurance, while removing the tax exemption that employers get for insuring workers.
Palin suggests that Obama will be taxing everyone
"I don't know where to start,'' Biden says, keeping his eyes on McCain. "95 percent of the small businesses in America, their owners earn less than $250,000 a year,'' Biden says, and they wouldn't be touched by the tax increases that Obama proposes for wealthier taxpayers.
.
Talking about McCain's tax and health care plan, and taking a smart shot at the pet government project in Alaska that Palin once supported but has come to criticize, Biden says: "I call that the ultimate bridge to nowhere.''
Score a not-so-subtle shot.
* * * *
So who is responsible for the mortgage crisis? The predatory lenders or the people?
"Darn right it was the predatory lenders,'' says Sarah Palin, suggesting that the "hockey moms'' and "Joe Six-Packs'' of the nation unite and commit to getting it right. "Don't live outside of our means... It's not the American peoples' faults that the economy is hurting like it is.''
And Joe Biden replies with a shot at John McCain, his second in two rounds of questioning. Biden clearly will be making the top of the ticket his target in tonight's debate, not his sparring partner.
"John recently wrote an article for a major magazine, saying what he wants to do for the health care industry, deregulate it... like he did for the financial'' markets,'' Biden says, citing his own Joe Six-Pack, a buddy down at the gas station.
Both of them, however, are looking at one another, averting the mistake that McCain made in his debate with Obama, avoding eye contact.
* * * *
Palin wears black tonight, so does Biden.
"Nice to meet you,'' Palin says, rushing on to the stage and reaching for Biden's hand. "Can I call you Joe?''
Yup. The equalizer, fast.
Asked about the rush to a financial bailout that Congress is engaged in now, Biden says, "The Congress... has been put in a very difficult spot... But Barack Obama laid out four... criteria for any rescue plan here,'' says Biden, ticking off the principles, including a guarantee against excessive CEO pay in the bailout.
"It brings us back to a fundamental disagreement'' between the two candidates for president and their running mates, says Biden, saying the Democrats will focus on the middle class.
"A good barometer'' for the economy, Palin says, "is a kids' soccer game.'' The sentiment on the sidelines tells all.
So Palin has played the "hockey mom'' card, right out of the box. " McCain, she says, "thankfully, has been one representing reform.''
"Until two weeks ago, John McCain said the fundamentals of the economy are strong... That doesn't make John McCain a bad guy, but it does she he's out of touch,'' Biden replies, and those people on the sideline knew this two months ago.
* * * *
Sarah Palin figures she was in "like the 2nd grade'' when Joe Biden first was elected to Congress.
The two of them go to school on each other tonight, in a 90-minute, nationally televised encounter of the vice presidential nominees at Washington University in St. Louis.
The running mates' debate comes at a critical juncture in the presidential campaign. With little more than one month left until Election Day, Democrats Barack Obama and Biden have found a significant advantage in national polling, and more importantly, in the electoral vote contest state by state. Republicans John McCain and Palin are attempting to regain a sense of momentum that they had coming out of their nominating convention after Labor Day.
The two, Palin and Biden, come from opposite ends of the nation - Palin, the first-term governor of Alaska, Biden, a longtime member of the Senate from Delaware. And they come from fairly opposite ends of the political spectrum. Indeed, in the contest for the White House - or, in their cases, the stately residence of the Naval Observatory on a hilltop in Washington - there is little on which they agree.
Add a moderator - PBS' Gwen Ifill - who soon will be publishing a book about black politics, and in particular Obama, and we have the makings of not only a hot debate, but also a debate around the debate. Sen. Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah, picks up this theme in a fundraising email to Republicans today:
"Watch out,'' Hatch wrote. "Sarah Palin is being set up...
"The moderator of tonight's debate is in the tank for Obama,'' the senator wrote."This liberal PBS reporter is releasing a pro-Obama book ... to debut on Inauguration day...''
(Ifill, pictured entering the debate stage with a broken ankle, in a photo by J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
In truth, the only one who has set up Palin tonight is Palin herself. During two weeks of slowly released excerpts from two series of interviews she conducted with CBS News' Katie Couric, Palin has delivered some rambling and evasive answers to such questions as what newspapers and magazines she gets her information from and what Supreme Court rulings other than Roe v. Wade she disagrees with - she couldn't name one.
Biden, who teaches constitutional law on the side, could handle the court ruling question. The question for Biden, tonight, is whether he can handle an adversary who is widely viewed as a solid debater from her campaign days in Alaska. For Biden, prone to seeking the rhetorical edge of the cliff in debate and campaign appearances, is working at moderating himself tonight.
The expectations could not be lower for Palin tonight. They could not be higher for Biden. Perhaps they will meet someplace in the middle. Perhaps Ifill will run a great, professional show -- we suspect so.
Some 52 million people watched the first debate of the presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, according to Nielsen - a viewership which didn't even approach the top-ten television audiences of presidential debates of the past few decades.
Here's betting that Palin and Biden outdraw the top of the ticket tonight. You heard it here in the Swamp.
And here in the Swamp, you can join us for live-blogging of the debate, check in afterward or offer your own assessment in the warmup of what promises to be a doozy in St. Louis.
Comments
Okay...I officially think the pundits have collective brain diarrhea. Toobin was just on saying he wishes the debates would go on all night long...what is he drinking, smoking, snorting, shooting? They can't talk enough and they are sooo excited I think I may see them wee on each other sometime during the evening!
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 2, 2008 6:49 PM
You know, when you see the quality of the second string in American politics ya really got to wonder about the starters. This is the best they could do?
Posted by: OldCreaky | October 2, 2008 6:50 PM
I can't wait to see these two gaff prone people make more huge gaffs together live on tv!
I think by november both candidates will rue their respective running mate choices.
Posted by: susan | October 2, 2008 7:25 PM
Not being an American, makes it a bit hard to vote.
If I did it would be for Obama for several reasons, but certainly one of them would be to prevent the possibility of Sarah Palin ever becoming president.
The prospect is chilling - she embodies the values (love of guns, killing wild animals for fun, SUVs, religious zealotry, ignorance of the wider world, etc.) that make it difficult for many the rest of us to like America (most people would actually really like to like the US!).
Vote well and with care.
Posted by: Another dismayed Australian | October 2, 2008 7:46 PM
So, will Sarah Palin act like SHE's in 2nd grade tonight?
Her answers make her look like the most feeble VP candidate in history. Maybe she's been saving all her brain cells for tonight, but I doubt it.
As soon as she has to think of an answer, for a question she wasn't fed the answer, look for the smoke coming out of her ears as she makes up an answer.
Obama should own the election after tonight.
Posted by: Expert47 | October 2, 2008 7:47 PM
I worked for 15 years and had people help from all across the state concerning getting rail service from St. Louis to Springfield and Branson and on the Tulsa. Last year in Missouri the highway department tried to convince the State Legislature to help get funding for Amtrak from Stylus to Branson and on. They say it will help relieve traffic on interstate 44 and help drivers have other options. Rolla, Lebanon, Springfield, Branson and many other cities could benefit from the economic development it could bring
Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden has spent many years promoting the idea that additional routes will increase traffic in general on Amtrak. . What about those gas prices? If Biden becomes vice president he will bring more Rail Passenger Service to Missouri and the United States.
Sincerely,
Steven L. Reed
1441 South Estate Ave.
Springfield, MO 65804
stevenlloydreed@hotmail.com
Posted by: Steven Reed | October 2, 2008 7:50 PM
So she likes rudy and I do not mean the ex-mayor of New York.
She mad it through one interview without being edited into a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Now let's see how the debate goes.
http://www.bop-o-rama.com
Posted by: O.K. Rudy! | October 2, 2008 7:53 PM
Orrin Hatch. Jeez. He's been a spent force since revealling on national TV that the U.S. was snooping on Osama's satellite phone. Hatch is about as relevant today as Larry "Wide Stance" Craig."
How does Biden stomp the artic p & vingear out of n young Moosejaw without seeming cruel about it? Moosejaw's only hope is to wierd Biden out with coded Christian homilies that will somehow flummox one of the brightest minds in Congress.
Posted by: bryan m. | October 2, 2008 7:54 PM
Borin' Orrin echoing the same tired old "the refs are against us" whine. Republicans think they can intimidate the moderator into cutting poor Sarah some slack, and conversely, hammering harder on Joe. What a pathetic party, they have no players so they cry for a flag after every play. Hatch is probably a BYU fan too, who's fans are the biggest crybabies on the planet.
Posted by: dt | October 2, 2008 8:02 PM
Pre-emptive strike on Gwen Ifill.
They will say poor Sarah was victim of Gwen, asked unfair questions, wasn't given chance to explain her answers, Gwen cut her off, Gwen gave her dirty looks, Gwen threw only softballs to Biden, etc. etc.
It's a companion tactic to "lower expectations". It's called "attack moderator because she's black/lets you attack Barack by proxy".
Posted by: ornery | October 2, 2008 8:06 PM
Sarah Palin will be wishing Tina Fey was taking her place about 3 minutes in! Maybe they'll ask her a really tough question like....how many caribou recipes do you know?
Posted by: CNNGuy | October 2, 2008 8:18 PM
Off subject, but hilarious;
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nEmPvGS3Ts
Posted by: C. Morris | October 2, 2008 8:24 PM
Dear Dismayed Australian:
Thanks for your input, it means nothing to me. I don't follow your elections, nor do I care who you vote for, that is why I don't choose to live in Australia. Frankly, I'm a little tired of people bashing the US and then when we're not looking, sneaking into our country over our borders. If you don't like who we choose to be our Commander in Chief, please don't visit, it's fine by us.
Posted by: RLS | October 2, 2008 8:28 PM
Can anyone tell if Palin is wearing an earpiece as Bush used to, in order to have answers fed to her during the debate?
Posted by: FAL | October 2, 2008 8:33 PM
Biden is doing a great job. He is in a tough position debating the ubber fragile Palin.
On the health care issue alone... repubicans scare me.
Oh, and this Alaska stuff... hilarious. The state of Alaska pays it's citizens to live there... because no one wants to live there!
Posted by: KQA | October 2, 2008 9:27 PM
I thought Palin was doing well until she tried to answer a question about climate change. Now she's just babbling...
Posted by: Cliff | October 2, 2008 9:33 PM
FAL - I was just wondering the same thing. A couple of things - Did Sarah just say NUKULAR? As an openly gay man this woman scares me! Is this Palin or Tina Fey doing an impression...I can no longer tell.
Posted by: CNNGuy | October 2, 2008 9:40 PM
It is now 30 minutes into the debate. Has anyone else noticed that Palin has changed the topic of her question 2 or 3 times already.
She is actually saying, "what I really want to talk about is ..."
Isn't that against the whole idea behind political debates.
Posted by: DAS | October 2, 2008 9:41 PM
He's cutting her up... but she's relatively good at regurgitating what she's told...
Posted by: jessy03 | October 2, 2008 9:54 PM
I am watching the debate as I type and Palin sure looks at her notes or whatever she is looking at alot..Electronic answers???Whatever..Her answers are so praticed that she seems to get out of breath to just get it all out whatever the subject...Notice how seldom Biden looks down at his podium and how often Palin does..She also still has that smirky smile she gets..Certainly not very Vice Presidential..Her coyishness does not work in this atmosphere..So sick of hearing about her in Wasilla and her state of Alaska..We'll see how this goes down but Biden has it..Hands down...
Posted by: Randollph | October 2, 2008 10:06 PM
Biden looks & sounds Presidential: experienced & poised
Ms. Palin looks & sounds like a Press Secretary: snarky & combative
Let's make the right choice and get our nation back!
Posted by: Chris | October 2, 2008 10:08 PM
Anyone else find it funny that Ifill called Sarah Palin "Debra Palin"? You'd think she would be more prepared to moderate this debate, especially after coming under fire for being in the tank for Obama.
Posted by: annoyed | October 2, 2008 10:13 PM
I have to laugh at Steven L. Reed of Springfield, MO extolling the virtues of Amtrak, one of the most highly subsidized entities in federal and state budgets where ever it is running - and where ever it is running is doing so very inefficiently.
Amtrak runs the "Heartland Flyer" from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth daily at a cost of about $50. Retired U.S. Congressman Ernest Istook ran a cost analysis of what the OKC to Fort Worth run would be without subsidies and it would have been close to $500 and that's one way. Amtrak is a must in the highly congested Northeast Corridor, but unless you have a lot of $$$ to spent and a lot of time to spend it in.....forget Amtrak. As much as we like to take a nostalgic look back at the good old days, Amtrak ain't the answer folks.
Posted by: Oak Park Lefty | October 2, 2008 10:13 PM
Biden/Palin 08!
I have to put politics aside and say that this was hands down the best debate of the race. Biden did a fantastic job of taming himself. Palin brought her quirky charm to which Biden responded well. How is it the the VP's get the most issue thorough debate? The thing last week by comparison was a dismal failure. The barbs the gaffs are about even in my view--and lots of issue distinction are being made.Many highlights. The moderator excellent.
Posted by: loved it! | October 2, 2008 10:21 PM
Why can't Gov. Palin pronounce the word "nuclear" correctly? Really, it's not that difficult.
Posted by: Jen | October 2, 2008 10:24 PM
Most overused words in the debate tonight? NUKULAR and MAVERICK.
Posted by: CNNGuy | October 2, 2008 10:24 PM
Gov. Palin pointed out that Sen. Biden kept "looking back" when he delivered his answer to the question, "How has the current administration been wrong or right regarding its Israel policy?" (Biden then "looked back" and criticized the current administration's Israel policy.) Yeah, no kidding he was "looking back" to the Bush administration- that was the point of the question! Hello!
Posted by: Jen | October 2, 2008 10:29 PM
OH MY GOD! That woman is a freak. Shout out to 3rd graders, where does she think she is... the PTA? I'm a retired vet republican who will not be able to vote for that woman who still thinks she's a cheerleader. I guess I have to stay home.
What was McCain thinking?
Posted by: EP_VET | October 2, 2008 10:30 PM
Sarah's overall impression is: all she lacks are pom-poms.
She's got the buzz phrases down, just like a good cheerleader.
Parts of her peroration are right out of Tina Fey.
Biden, well, ran on a bit as he always does.
Both were overrehearsed and were reciting set pieces.
Gwen, well, I was expecting tougher questions.
Posted by: ornery | October 2, 2008 10:31 PM
Dear Dismayed Australian:
Didn't we used to send our worst prisoners to your country many years ago?...We have something called the 2nd amendment that allows us to own firearms...Not like your overly restrictive laws in your backward country...The only good thing to come out of your country is boomerangs (thanks to the aborigines) and the Wiggles...Wait..strike the last one
Posted by: KC | October 2, 2008 10:37 PM
An affront to my sense of logic and my ability to reason:
If global warming is not a *man-made* problem, then how would "cutting emissions," "cleaning up the environment," and fixing other obviously *MAN-MADE* problems stop global warming? Get your logic together before you open your mouth.
Posted by: Jen | October 2, 2008 10:38 PM
Hmm, Joe Biden has created a new people, you say? Actually, the Bosniaks (note the "K") are a group of folks living in the nations of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. Of course, don't take my word for it... have a look at Wikipedia for a start, and then maybe pick up a good history book about the Balkans.
Posted by: A. Giguere | October 2, 2008 10:39 PM
She was so robotic that she could have been selling floor tile, carpeting, cheap auto body repairs. She's a local t.v. news anchor, not a VP.
The creepy segue to "John McCain this and that." every time she gave another rambling non-answer.
Creepier still, is the strange sideways method of implying that Democrats have been in charge the past 8 years and it's all their fault.
Coo-coo. Coo-coo.
Posted by: FedUp | October 2, 2008 10:40 PM
Biden said that he doesn't think taking $4 billion from an oil company and then giving it to "the middle class" can be classified as redistribution of wealth. He calls it "fairness." Right. So tell ya what, Joe: I'm going to go into your bank account and take a small amount, say, $5,000 and split it with four of my friends. You have more than us, so that's only fair, right?
Posted by: JB | October 2, 2008 10:46 PM
Just what we don't need, another Veep who hasn't read the Constitution. She actually said she wants to expand the Veeps power and she agrees with Cheney. Unfreak'n believable and down right scary!
Posted by: neal | October 2, 2008 10:48 PM
Bosniaks is the correct name: The Bosniaks or Bosniacs ... are a South Slavic people, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina ... Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region, traditional adherence to Islam, and common culture and language. In the English-speaking world, Bosniaks are most commonly known as Bosnian Muslims.
This ain't Joe Biden's first rodeo
Posted by: jk | October 2, 2008 10:50 PM
Bosniaks are real.
Posted by: Gene | October 2, 2008 10:51 PM
I wonder how gay people feel after Biden openly said that both he AND Obama DO NOT SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE.
So much for their promises of "CHANGE"...
Posted by: Rey Flores | October 2, 2008 10:51 PM
Palin is an amateur. Every time she winked I threw up a little in my mouth. More importantly, she was a sound-bite doll, you just pulled the string and she said "we're mavericks", over and over and over. And her answer, or more accurately, non-answer on the role of VP was scary--like an implicit acknowledgment of Cheney's 5th Estate.
Posted by: dt | October 2, 2008 10:53 PM
Bosniacs or Bosniaks, as Biden referred to them, indeed do exist. Check out the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosniaks
Posted by: Fense Anderson | October 2, 2008 10:54 PM
Palin had all of the advantages going into this debate. The public has low expectations of her, so it was going to be easy to impress them. She also knew that neither the moderator or Biden could attack her. Biden would look like a bully picking on a vulnerable woman while the moderator would be accused of favoritism since she has published a relatively favorable book about Obama. The only thing Palin has needed to do was rehearse how to bring up a canned attack against Biden at every possible opportunity.
Biden can only grin and bear it like a man being slapped by a girl.
Oh, and did anyone else notice Palin's butt? I couldn't help noticing due to the frequent 'backside' views offered by the cameras. That was very considerate of the media.
Posted by: Bryant Arms | October 2, 2008 10:54 PM
Bosniacs or Bosniaks, as Biden referred to them, indeed do exist. Check out the wiki where it states:
"The terms Bosnian and Bosniak may refer to anything related to Bosnia (region) or the state Bosnia and Herzegovina and its inhabitants. Both terms have been used for a long time in English"
cheers.
Posted by: Fense Anderson | October 2, 2008 10:55 PM
Heartbeat away from the Presidency???
Posted by: Observer | October 2, 2008 10:57 PM
Debate over...BIDEN WON!!!..She is so snarky and looked at Biden with such disdain while wearing a smile...All of everything she said was rehersed and it showed it..I was glad when it was ovr and I didn't have to look at her coniving face anymore. Hope she goes home and stays....
Posted by: Randollph | October 2, 2008 10:57 PM
On the Bosniak remark -- check your facts, specifically the CIA World Factbook. It was not a mistake, Biden was right.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bk.html#People
Posted by: Doug | October 2, 2008 10:58 PM
Biden looked like an angry old man that got sent to the Island Of Lost Toys.
This pretty much clinched my vote.
McCain Palin wins.
Posted by: city guy | October 2, 2008 10:59 PM
Wow, I was impressed...with Sarah Palin, more than I thought I would be. Women from coast to coast have been watching and listening very closely. She is definitely one woman who can bring a great balance to the table. I wonder how many times Obama has regretted casting Hillary (also a great candidate) aside. He may discover it will cost him the election.
Posted by: GrammyM | October 2, 2008 11:00 PM
Dear RLS: Your insular worldview is your country's biggest problem. Your elections affect everybody.
Also, The writer has shown his ignorance: Bosniacs are majority in Bosnia. He could have easily checked this.
Posted by: Iguana | October 2, 2008 11:01 PM
Dude. Bosniac is the proper term for the Slavs inhabiting Bosnia.
Posted by: fred | October 2, 2008 11:01 PM
If I see Palin crinkler her nose and wink at me one more time, I think I will spit.
Seems to me that she thought she was at another beauty pageant tonight. Where was the sash? Her 'performance', and that is what it was, told a very scary tale.
Dog-gone it, do we really want someone who can't speak without saying dog-gone it a heart beat away from the presidency? Is intelligence too much to ask for anymore?
Will she deal with world leaders by sitting in their laps and giggling? Or should I say, sittin' in their laps and gigglin'?
No thank you. Please vote wisely.
Posted by: Peace | October 2, 2008 11:01 PM
Yes, yes, yes....Sarah Palin is ready and she is awesome!!! Tata Katie and your looks of total disdain...this is the real deal. Way to go Sarah. The Dems are really scared now.
Posted by: Helena | October 2, 2008 11:05 PM
Sarah Palin "Main Streeted" and straight talked Joe Biden off his podium tonight. You should have seen the results of the focus group in St. Louis afterward. This is a tough, pro-labor, Democrat town. I know, I worked in TV news there for several years. Palin has revived the GOP campaign and you'll see a swing in the polls. She flleeced Biden and I don't even think he knows it yet. Once again, Obama's paranoia over Hillary Clinton has reared its ugly head. Obama made a big time mistake not choosing Clinton and Bill and Hillary (who aren't exactly beating the bushes campaigning for the Illinois Senator) know it.
Posted by: Democratic Stag Party | October 2, 2008 11:05 PM
Other than sidestepping some questions tonight, Palin did OK. On the other side Biden was very good. He has a capability of underscoring important points and these are remembered. He was like an seasoned leader debating the secretary of the PTA. Not close this time: Biden wins.
Posted by: bill Pederson | October 2, 2008 11:06 PM
One factual note that is important, and I would request that you correct it: "Bosniak" is a real term, used throughout the Balkans in official and unofficial cpacities (I worked and work in the Balkans for over four years). It signifies an individual who uses the Slavic language and is of Slavic descent but who nonetheless is a member of the Islamic faith. If you don't believe me, please consult the UNHCR or other organizations active in the region who list "Bosniaks" as an ethnic group in all of the countries of the Balkans. Your confusion is understandable, as Americans have long confused the terms "Bosnian" (meaning a Muslim citizen of the republic of Bosnian and Herzegovina) and "Bosniac" (meaning a Muslim, south-european slav). One note: as with every "ethnic" label in the Balkans, this one is constantly under siege from a variety of perspectives.
The fact that Biden referenced "Bosniaks," far from being a "gaffe," actually demonstrates his intimate awareness of the situation "on the ground" in the Balkans.
Thanks for your report,
Nathan Truitt
Posted by: Nathan Truitt | October 2, 2008 11:07 PM
Biden wins on argument, class and connecting with the middle class.
Palin wins the beauty contest, but of the heartless kind, as shown when she immediately shifted to canned talking points when Biden mentioned tragedy in his family.
Now, who do you want a heartbeat away from the presidency?
Posted by: Martin Edwin Andersen | October 2, 2008 11:10 PM
Bosnia:
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000)
Posted by: cochise. | October 2, 2008 11:10 PM
FACTS, people, FACTS:
1. 2001-April, the Bush administration, in its 2002 budget proposal, asserted that the size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a "potential problem," and that financial trouble in these Government Sponsored Entities, or GSEs, could "cause strong repercussions in financial markets."
2. 2003, autumn, the Bush administration pushed Congress to create a new federal agency to regulate and supervise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
On 2003-Sep-10, then-Treasury Secretary John Snow, before the House Financial Services Committee, " We need a strong, world-class regulatory agency to oversee the prudential operations of the GSEs, and the safety, and the soundness of their financial activities."
On the same day, 2003-Sep-10, at the same hearing, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee Congressman Barney Frank (now chairman of the same committee) said in response, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not in a crisis. The more people, in my judgement, exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjur up the possibility of serious financial losses, to the Treasury, which I do not see, I think we see entities which are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios, and even if there were a problem the federal government doesn't bail them out. But the more pressure there is there, the less I think we see in terms of affordable housing."
The legislation the Bush administration put forward that day was blocked.
3. Alan Greenspan, 2005-Sep-17, to the House Financial Services Committee, on Fannie/Freddie, "Enabling these institutions to increase in size--they they will once the crisis in their judgement passess--we are placing the total financial system of the future at substantial risk."
4. Alan Greenspan, 2006-Apr-6, "If we fail to strengthen GSE regulation we increase the possibility of insolvency and crisis."
The same day, Democratic Senator Chuck Schummer, "I think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the years has done a good job and are an intrinsic part of making America the best-housed people in the world. If you look over the last 20 or whatever years, they have done a very, very, good job."
5. Senate floor, 2006-May-25, John McCain, "For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac... and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market... the GSEs need to be reformed without delay." In the Senate Banking Committee, the Fannie/Freddie reform legislation that McCain cosponsored, 100% of the Republicans voted FOR it, and 100% of the Democrats, including Chuck Schummer and Chris Dodd, voted AGAINST it. This bill that passed the Banking Committee on a straight party-line voted was blocked by Democrats from passing the full Senate. Senator Obama was silent on this legislation.
As we know now, Dodd received $133,900 in campaign contributions from Fannie/Freddie (per opensecrets.org), ranking #1 in Congress. Obama received $105,949 from Fannie / Freddie (per opensecrets.org), ranking #3 in Congress.
6. 2008-Sep-25, former President Clinton indicated he AGREED with Fox News assertions that Democrats are responsible for failure to rein in Fannie/Freddie--Bill Clinton told ABC's Chris Cuomo that for years, Democrats have been "resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was President to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Posted by: SuperiorBank failure | October 2, 2008 11:10 PM
I swear, if you took almost any one of Palin's "answers" and played it for somebody to watch....even somebody who had just watched the debate....and asked them "which question was she responding to? What topic was she addressing?" that they WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER.
She didn't answer anything! It was just "you betcha, hockey mom, Alaska, Alaska, Alaska, maverick maverick maverick wink wink wink"
Pathetic.
Posted by: whodathunkit | October 2, 2008 11:11 PM
I find it interesting that Biden mentioned "the governor of Spain, our NATO ally". Does he have 20 years of foreign relations experience, or one year of foreign relations experience - 20 times?
Posted by: David Anderson | October 2, 2008 11:12 PM
Even an Obama supporter can see that Palin is not the dummy that the media (with their deliberate editing) has portrayed,
She is well spoken, articulate, intelligent.
yes, Biden won the debate (as he certainly is a master debater) but Palin held enough to regain some of the support she held before.
Biden got an A-. Palin got a B (but she is no dummy)
its amazing how much power the media has isnt it?
Posted by: doctorb | October 2, 2008 11:13 PM
Wow, Sarah Palin was TERIFFIC! What a refreshing new face on the national political scene. She IS the future of politics and at last we have a WOMAN who can bring some sense to Washington. Go Sarah!
Posted by: Bonita | October 2, 2008 11:15 PM
I find it interesting that Biden said that he would be in the room with Obama for every important decision, giving advice and instructing. Can we afford for the POTUS to get on the job training?
All in all, I think that Palin did better than expected, and Biden didn't look too foolish. I was waiting for Faux Pas Joe to cram his foot in his mouth, but aside from reinventing his childhood into a poor white child from Scranton, who goes to Home Depot on weekends and fills his own tank, he didn't blow it too much.
Posted by: Ann L | October 2, 2008 11:20 PM
They forgot to mention who it was who got the 2nd highest amount of campaign donations from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae before they failed - Obama! Who got the most? Chris Dodd the Dumocrat who heads the Senate Banking Committee!
Obama and Dodd were raking in the cash and looking the other way while Freddie & Fannie made billions in "liar" loans and destroyed the mortgage banking system. Change you can believe in? Sounds more like the old boy network all over again!
Obama - a proud graduate of Chicago Machine Politics - laughing at the poor and middle class while he lines his own pockets! Daley is PROUD of you!!
Posted by: mario | October 2, 2008 11:25 PM
I agree, hands down Biden won the debate. Sarah Palin could barely even answer the questions. She regurgitated useless euphemisms. I am terrified of the day that she runs the country, but maybe I'm wrong. Palin couldn't possibly be worse than Bush?? Maybe? They both seem to share the same beliefs even though she continued to avoid questions about the Bush presidency by saying that's the past. In reality, it's not. I'm pretty certain that Bush is still in office. Finally, I'm sick of reporters claiming that Palin did a good job because she didn't have a mental breakdown or say something completely offensive (until she talked about increasing the powers of the vice president???not for big gov???). Biden ate her alive.
Thanks
Posted by: Anna | October 2, 2008 11:28 PM
They scare you on health care? What the Dems won't tell you is that 75% of uninsured people in this country are illegals. The states with the highest incidents of uninsured are Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Gee, what country do they border????? Talk to someone from Canada if you really want to be scared about health care.
Posted by: Steve | October 2, 2008 11:33 PM
I just looked at the vote of Tribune readers as to who won the debate. 82% for Biden? The paper must have something going at the intersection of 63rd and Cottage Grove Avenue.
Posted by: You Gotta Be Kidding | October 2, 2008 11:34 PM
I thought they both managed to survive the night unscathed, but if anybody moved the ball down the field, it was Biden. Direct, forceful, polite, genuine, succinct (!), and likeable. http://enough2008.blogspot.com
Posted by: Levi | October 2, 2008 11:35 PM
Sarah didin't have any Katie Couric moments and had plenty of sound bites. But Biden clearly knows the issues and has the facts. Simple as that. Biden wins.
Posted by: rupert | October 2, 2008 11:40 PM
Imagine giving students a test,and they pass because they fill the page. They answered . That's not debatable.But did they answer the question. NO. That's exactly Palin's stance tonight. She did answer but not the question. There was no substance. All she uttered were rehearsed statements irrelevant to the questions. Are we so desperate that we have no rigor, no high expectations, for our students..oops sorry Vice president? Heaven helps us.imagine being happy that someone running for vice president was able to spit rehearsed irrelevant statement
and called "holding her own". No basic knowledge. No answers. No substance. Answers to Nowhere.
Posted by: pat s austin | October 2, 2008 11:40 PM
wow whoever wrote that comment up at the top about drugs must be on something themselves. Of course they both want to talk a lot this is the only vice presidential debate for this election!
I have to say Biden won this one...if Palin mentioned energy one more time I would have shot myself. Although she did do a great job at dodging all the questions she didn't want to answer.
Posted by: Dana | October 2, 2008 11:46 PM
Palin was one giant talking point and extremely weak on policy and specifics. Biden did a great job. He is clearly ready to President or Vice President. Palin is ready to be President of the local PTA chapter, that is about it.
Posted by: Zak | October 2, 2008 11:47 PM
you people don't get it ....
probably cause you're all in the tank for obama
yes we have problems in the usa but sarah is proud to be an AMERICAN and she shows it. obama apologizes for america and michelle has never been proud of usa untilw she was called about it! it's the most glaring difference to me. sarah says american's know how to change and she has shown she knows how to make change happen. on the bailout bill in the house why did rush and jackson jr. big buddies of obama vote no ? when obama supported the bailout couldn't he CHANGE their mind ?? if he can't change his supporters vote says to me his change is just that same old b.s. we get all the time for political hacks.
Posted by: clr | October 2, 2008 11:48 PM
A or B? Ladies First, who won the debate, A) Sarah Palin B) Joe Biden [VOTE] - http://www.thriveorfail.com/c910b
Posted by: Kevin K. | October 2, 2008 11:51 PM
I'm a pretty middle-of-the road guy, but I remain amazed. How can anyone look at McCain or Palin and legitimately feel they will help make the U.S. safer and more prosperous? Haven't 8 years of politicians looking into the camera and delivering talking points and platitudes taught us that we need leaders who can analyze and evaluate complex issues? You think McCain -- and god forbid, Palin, can do that?
Posted by: Astounded | October 2, 2008 11:51 PM
Joe Biden lied. A lot.
Yes, his answers were specific and yes, Palin came across as regurgitating some points; but, Joe flat out lied.
Biden should have dusted Palin, straight up; but, he got flustered and had to twist the truth in order to keep ground.
And people think he won?
Amazing.
Posted by: Pete | October 2, 2008 11:57 PM
*********What I learned from the VP debate ********
*Palin doesn't know what an achille's heel is.
*Palin thinks the VP should have more power than Cheney now has.
*Palin doesn't know that, legislatively, the VP breaks ties in the Senate- nothing else.
*Palin is basically disrespectful of the average American as those she refers to as 'Joe six pack' can be fairly sophisticated. And, they probably don't drop their 'g's as often as Palin.
*Palin treats Americans as stereotypes.
*Many single, widowered, and divorced fathers have got to love Joe Biden for his sincere understanding of their situation.
*Gwen Ifill had no concern for the candidates' stand on immigration or social security.
Posted by: Vivian | October 2, 2008 11:57 PM
Imagine giving students a test,and they pass because they fill the page. They answered . That's not debatable.But did they answer the question. NO. That's exactly Palin's stance tonight. She did answer but not the question. There was no substance. All she uttered were rehearsed statements irrelevant to the questions. Are we so desperate that we have no rigor, no high expectations, for our students..oops sorry Vice president? Heaven helps us.imagine being happy that someone running for vice president was able to spit rehearsed irrelevant statement
and called "holding her own". No basic knowledge. No answers. No substance. Answers to Nowhere.
*******
When Republicans do it, they call it "no substance". When the Democrats do it, they call it Obama.
Posted by: city guy | October 2, 2008 11:58 PM
Biden won this debate hands down. Sarah just needs to go back to Alaska with her family. She doesn't belong in the shoes she is trying to fill. She is way out of her league. McCain needs to have his head examined. What on earth was he thinking?
Posted by: Kathy | October 3, 2008 12:04 AM
Hey Steve,
I have talked to a Canadian about Health Care. My brother-in-law is Canadian. He seems to like the health care just fine. BTW, got any evidence to support your claim or does "75% illegals" just sound like a big enough number to scare people?
And Superior Bankfailure,
Fannie and Freddie are involved in the secondary lending market and did not have direct involvement in sub-prime lending. McCain did make the speech, but that was over a year after the bill was introduced. The bill failed in a Republican congress. McCain has not presented his own or supported others' legislation in the past 3 years (2006, 2007, 2008). Republicans wanted to regulate Freddie and Fannie more stringently to allow their friends (investment bankers, who ARE responsible for the subprime lending and the securitized mortgages debacle) to have a larger slice of the pie. If they got what they wanted subprime lending and other dangerous speculation in the investment market would have been more widespread and the crash of the housing bubble would have been even worse.
Posted by: doug | October 3, 2008 12:09 AM
For us intellectuals in the crowd, I would have liked to see Biden bring up the Bush administration's opting-out of the Kyoto Protocol amid a bunch of poor excuses, as part of the bad policy contributing to global warming. But I guess one or more of their focus groups said, "uh uh, Don't go there."
Posted by: Shorty | October 3, 2008 12:10 AM
Bosniak (plural Bosniaks)
1. A person belonging to autochthonous South Slavic people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro.
2. A person typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region, traditional adherence to Islam, and common culture and language.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bosniak
Posted by: Larry | October 3, 2008 12:54 AM
Bosniacs is a term used in the Dayton Accords as well as most official SFOR documentation. Guess you have to wake up pretty late to fool Mark Silva...
Posted by: Pandyora | October 3, 2008 12:54 AM
I thought Biden was foolish for failing simple Logic 101, and saying that (paraphrasing) :"Global Warming is.... ALL.... man made".
How absolutely pompous and arrogant!
Just goes to show how far into the psyche of America that the lies of the the enviro-Gorists and the UN-endorsed "Robin-Hood mandate"...... have now reached.
I'll bet WWF film crews are shoving polar bears off Alaskan ice floes right NOW....trying to get that "perfect" pathetic swimming scene to send back on your TV, so YOU can feel guilty...& send them more of your hard earned $$$ !!
( :
( :
Oh, by the way, I'd say overall the debate was a tie.
Palin did ALOT, ALOT better than everyone thought she would do.
Granted, it resembled a 'spelling bee' more than it did a 'debate', and the rules were agreed upon as they were beforehand, and Biden & the Dems were OK with it.
Posted by: Marcos | October 3, 2008 2:28 AM
Palin's folksy "Say it ain't so Joe" statement is an affront to Chi-Sox history. The Alaskan governor hockey mom obviously set Biden up with the "can I call you Joe" introduction stab in the back. Then she committed blasphemy by using Chicago Black Sox legend Shoeless Joe Jackson's famous lament out of context to attack Barack (I live in the shadow of Comiskey Park) Obama policies.
Posted by: northsidesoxfan | October 3, 2008 4:06 AM
Ms. Palin convinced me. It wasn't an easy job either. Certainly given her peek-a-boo act with the press and her tea-party with Ms. Couric, my mind was not a wide open door. Yet, in her spunk, and dedication to survive the evening I did see in Ms. Palin my mother, my grandmother, and myself. She is right. She is one of 'us'.
If you take away the specific names and vignettes about her own world I do not recall hearing one thing or one theory or one conceptualization from Ms. Palin I could not have said, recited, or explained myself.
And there is no way that my mother, or grandmother, or I should be sitting in the position of Vice President. We do not have the skills, the background, nor the political acumen to do the whole job the way this country needs the whole job done--especially now.
Posted by: Jane Poordoe | October 3, 2008 8:52 AM
I used to think that these comment sections were a useful thing. What an idea allow readers to comment on what they've just read, particpate in the story, maybe even enrich other readers with a thoughtful comment. However after looking at this tripe for years I've discovered that all the internet does is provide a faceless venue for people to spew their venom. These boards should be abolished because there are so few intelligent comments posted on them. All these boards do is reinforce what's wrong with this country. We've allowed ourselves to become so marginalized by RNC tactics (and before you howl please remember Bush's tactic with a ban on homosexual marriage exactly where'd that initiative go). And no I'm not an angry democrat and really that shouldn't matter. It's just an observation.... Right wing media bias, please. Last post from somebody tired of reading the nonsense from the knuckleheads that frequent these boards. Most of you need to go do something fun.
Posted by: Eddie | October 3, 2008 8:53 AM
First of All -
Australian,
All Americans are not rude. I, for one, appreciate your interest and comments; and I like your country.
White female here. I will be voting for Obama on October 10.
The thought "if Palin was Obama's VP running mate...." I started laughing. There is no way a republican would come close to liking her homespun ways or the derisive comments about the "east coast" people. I'm midwest but that comment annoyed me - this woman actually thinks she can make negative comments about the "lower 48" and we'll accept this?
Palin spoke better than I expected but she still flunked. She is incapable of having an off the cuff discussion with anyone without showing her ignorance - does better when she has been trained like Pavlov's dog and rehearsed repeatedly to do her master's command. She memorized her responses to key word and phrases including "waving a white flag" - "say it isn't so Joe".
The hokey eye winks - the use of "darn". Referring to "joe six-pack" being the ordinary American is insulting and demeaning. What does she know about the "lower 48" (her expression) - she knows NOTHING. I'm tired of her using her baby for "clips" - the only time she holds the little tyke is when she's getting off a plane with media cameras on the ready. Tired of the cry baby complaints about liberal media being unfair. If there is unfair media it is republican - Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Drudge, etc.
The debate - she chose to respond to different topics than what was posed to her. Why was she given a pass? Because the republicans circulated rumors the moderator was biased against Palin well in advance is why.
I don't even remember if she says she's a hocky mom or a soccer mom - doesn't matter since it was less than two years of her life many years ago. What she is - murderer of wildlife. And Mrs. Main Street Hometown America has a net worth of ONE - POINT - TWO MILLION? She said she's hurting?
And since when has military service have anything to do with the office ofthe Presidency? Poppycock!
The pit bull's master sure isn't DDE (DDE wouldn't have a clue about how to handle Iraq, Iran, China, Korea, Afghanistan and he was thousands of times better than McCain).
Posted by: randi | October 3, 2008 8:57 AM
Check your facts. There are three major ethnic groups in Bosnia, Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks.
Bosniaks is the term used to refer to Muslim Bosnians.
Posted by: Andy | October 3, 2008 8:58 AM
I haven't seen if anyone in the media caught it when Sarah Palin called Joe Biden "Senator O'Biden"? She can't remember anything. Avoiding questions or not understanding what the questions were. She is a very sarcastic, condescending and rude woman!
Posted by: Lori Obama Biden | October 3, 2008 8:59 AM
To Steve,
I actually happen to be canadian, I have dual citizenship here in the US and in Canada, I'm not too sure what you meant by your comment on healthcare...My healthcare is just fine, if anything you should be worried about how the US healtchare works.
Posted by: Char | October 3, 2008 9:00 AM
While I knew Sarah Palin would be fine at the debate she is still unqualified to be Governor of Alaska, so forget Vice President of the United States. She is setting women back 50 years with her beauty queen answers. How did she get where she is? It just shows a pretty woman will go farther than a smart woman any day of the week. A sad commentary on our society. I guess instead of going to college I should have invested my money in plastic surgery and beauty treatments. I could have ruled the world.
Posted by: Judy S | October 3, 2008 9:00 AM
Senator Biden was articulate, on point, courteous, AND he answered the questions.
Governor Palin was well-rehearsed,
beautifully groomed, perky-nervous,
AND she ignored the questions.
The citizens of our democratic republic, have EXACTLY the government they deserve.
VOTE YOUR INTERESTS--NOT
YOUR PREJUDICES!! I will do the same.
Posted by: Barbara | October 3, 2008 9:02 AM