Biden, Palin go at it

The people who think Palin did well are just as stupid as she is. She did not make sense at all. She talked in circles. It was embarassing.

Biden was fantastic. He had an amazing command of the issues. He was down to earth, spoke to the middle class and was clearly the shining star of the night. I'm not sure who else was on the stage - Tina Fey? but you can't win a campaign on talking points and blank stares into the camera.

Amazing how so many people can see the same debate and hear entirely different things - to the dolt who said she pronounced "nuclear" right, dig out your ears - the word only has one "u" in it, our current sad excuse of a president notwithstanding, and try using a spellchecker before making points of diction and grammar. And to anyone being suckered in by the "golly gosh, she's just like us" crap - I don't know about you, but I don't want my president and VP to be just like me, I want the smartest folks we can find in the land who are willing to do the thankless job of leading the country. Biden won, he was far more presidential, and absolutely knows his stuff. Palin was well-rehearsed, but a lightweight, with apologies to all the "regular folk" who think her BS is straight talk - it was all by rote, there wasn't much substance behind the talking points and Republican agenda..

I watched the debate last night.Gov pailin is way or her head.God help the usa if MCbush is elected.If that happens i will move to canada.

Of course we would be tearing apart a male Vice Presidential candidate if he winked at the camera, used phrases like "doggone it" and "you betcha" and refused to answer the questions posed by the moderator. In fact, most of the pundits and posters are being way too nice to Sarah Palin. She lacked substance and didn't want to veer from her script because she has no knowledge to back up her words. Her hockey mom shtick is wearing thin.

And before you flame me ... I'm a woman!

Very clear that Biden won the debate. Palin is charming, fun to listen to, but at the end of the day, she said McCain/Palin has no plans to help the middle class. Cute quips, funny little stories that can get us sidetracked but ultimately she wants to continue to give corporate america all the breaks in the worls and let the middle class fight over the scraps. Her charm is seductive but the McCain/Palin policies won't work for the future of America.

I think we have a new sitcom-"The Neophyte and the Blowhard."

Is this really the best we can do? How scary. On one side you had a Washington dinosaur who is representative of the problems we have with entrenched DC politicians. On the other, you had an inexperienced, inarticulate newcomer who is simply not ready for the awesome responsibility of being "a heartbeat away from the Presidency." What kind of choice is that?

In the debate, Biden said that he lived in a beautiful home, his "only" investment. You have got to be kidding me.

Palin did an excellent job of highligting Biden's flip flop on his opinion concerning Obama's ability to lead. Biden clearly stated in one of the Spring debates that although he liked Obama he was not ready to lead, later in another debate he said that Obama shouldn't look at the Presidency as an on the job training opportunity. Biden also was the preeminent politician who twisted and lied about his opponents voting record on taxes, fact check proved Biden wrong. Biden did a great job of proving to me that the Democratic Ticket is upside down. It should be Biden/Obama with Obama in the #2 training position.

Palin clearly demonstrated that she would make an excellent VP. She brings to the team clear leadership and management skills, she is the only one in the group who has managed government, balanced budgets and administered policy. She clearly understands the energy policy needs for this country and can really help with a key role in the administration on Energy, one of our biggest threats to our national security. If the tickets were Biden/Obama and Palin/McCain I'd vote for the Biden team, but that is not the choice. When comparing Obama with McCain I'm voting for substance over prose, experience over ideas and leadership over an inspirational speech.

How is it that if Caribou Barbie didn't embarrass the republican party it was a win?

She failed to answer any questions to any depth. She kept returning to her fail safe when she didn’t know the answer "McCain is a Maverick”

Maverick decided to gamble with her and lost. What will he gamble with if he is president? We don't need a Maverick we need a President.

Considering how stupid and uniformed the media tells me Sarah Palin is, I thought she did quite well! I was pretty impressed with her.

I was shocked to hear Joe Biden make several blunders on his supposed expertise - foreign policy. Like confusing the West Bank and Gaza. Or suggesting Obama supported sending NATO to southern Lebanon (he didn't, and NATO's charter wouldn't allow that). Or saying Obama never said he would meet w/o precondition with Ahmadinejad (he's said it several times). That was disappointing.

Also disappointing that the Obama/Biden ticket has decided to oppose equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

I was troubled by Palin WINKING at the camera several times. I was troubled by her inability to use complete sentences. Her talking about the "mess on Main Street affecting the mess on Wall Street". Her "understanding" of the role of VP (sounding a little Cheney-esque), her inability to say "nuclear" without it being phonetically spelled out for her as it was at the convention. And don't get me started on Eye-ran and Eye-raq. It makes me Eye-rrational. She drops "g"s from so many words it sounds like she's in the movie Fargo. That said, she did better than I expected.

Biden was polished, clearly more experienced and more rational. He was better than I expected too.

"Doggone" she says, trying to sound like a real person, which of course she is not.

Joe Biden did not sneer at all, and I can't even believe that someone actually thinks that he had. Everytime she bashed him, he just smiled. I thought he was very much a gentleman. Palin was the one with the super sarcastic tone with all of her animated facial expressions and dumb hokey lines. What a hick!
Biden rarely looked at his fact sheet, but Palin couldn't keep her eyes away from it.

First, plain speak? Why is there such a lovefest over people who have no diction and clearly never paid much attention in school.

Second, one of the other posters wrote that Palin was the "mare"... the word is actually mayor. A mare is a female horse. I guess I need to just lower my expectations from the conservatives just as they have lowered their expectations for a President since you should be looking at her as the next President and not as the Vice President.

Third, as another poster mentioned... mispronouncing nuclear is grating. George started that fad and his simple-minded followers have decided that the word should be changed, after all, the President is never wrong.

Finally, Palin is a sham. She never answered the questions asked for the first 30 minutes... clearly she had a script and could not improvise. She is an insult to the intelligence of voters. McCain's pals think that they can just "insert woman here" to make a difference... that intelligence in a woman doesn't matter. To compare the fitness of Palin to Hilary as a leader is a sham. Regardless of whether you liked Hilary Clinton or not, she didn't have to jump through 5 different schools to get a BA.

Palin did not debate. She simply stated "talking points" that were scripted for her. Remind you of the George Bush debates?
"Plain speak" ? What is that? Don't we want an articulate leader that can acutally pronoun english words?
So do we want more of the same "popular" kind of person in the highest office in the US or do we want one that is actually qualified?

I don't understand the fascination with "folksy" talk that Gov. Palin robustly used last night. Why is sounding average better? As an educated female, I find it disturbing that higher education is looked down on in a country that has the best schools in the world. It is insulting to me and to the rest of the country to categorize us as not well-educated people who need to hear things dumbed-down.

When the leaders of the world get together for discussions, they will not care how cute and folksy someone is. If they are highly capable any charm they have, will be worth jack. We need an exceptional leader, a sharp intellectual who has the ability to work with the rest of the world and bring America back to the top

This lady is an ACTRESS, and nothing more and a bad one at that. Give her the lines and she'll learn the script, however, she doesn't play the part very well.
Her tone is exasperating, her mannerisms are atrocious,(winking, pointing, hands and arms flailing).
She relies on the word "also" to much, everytime she says this word it takes me back to the horrible interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, where we saw the real Sarah Palin without a script. On a world stage there is no script.
Her arrogance is unbelievable, the narrator should have done a better job of sticking to the outlined questions, and the responses to them for the candidate , and the contestant. If you do not want to answer them that's fine, but it should be duly noted by the narrator that the question went unanswered.
To Sarah Palin I say:
Alaska is due north, find your way back there ASAP, and take MCCain with you, you can both be MAVERICK'S in the wilderness. Hell, take Cheney with you too, I hear he's a good shot, maybe he can put both of you out of your misery.

Hey Palin, Answer the damn questions....if you can.

Palin's reference to "Joe six pack" as a typical, all-American is an insult to men, a sexist remark and, unfortunately, a window into what she thinks is acceptable, "normal" behavior! Her "cutesy" winks, smiles and attempts at sounding "folksy" are condescending and downright ugly. She does not represent "normal". She is a hypocrite and a scary, uneducated, self-righteous person. Women who are excited by her should be ashamed of themselves. She is nothing but a continuation of the George "screw-up-in-every-thing he did and should have been impeached long ago for the crimes against humanity that he committed " Bush we have been subjected to for the past 8 years - George Bush in skirts! SCARY!!!

SCARY111

I watched the first hour. The debate easily favored Biden. He had a good grasp of the issues, did not stumble, and clearly downplayed the Bush administration of the past eight years. Palin, on the other hand, did not offer much promise for the American future and could not match wits with Biden. It was a decisive victory for Biden and the Democratic party.

NU CLE AR

I am not going through 4 more years of hearing the leaders of the most powerful country in the world say "nucular." Sarah - it doesn't sound folksy. It sounds backwater and uneducated. Thank you.

Had to laugh at Post #107 commenting on Gov. Palin saying "nu-cu-lar" - while it's incorrect and it grates on my ears, I'm afraid to say that many people say it that way.

But hello? Didya NOT hear Biden call the the inhabitants of the country of Bosnia "Bosniacs"?????? Considering the number of other verbal gaffes that Biden has made, I shouldn't be surprised, but this was a major gaffe. Right up there with FDR speaking on television in 1929. @@

As for the debate - it kept my interest, and I thought Palin won it. Biden did well, but this was Palin's win. She's restored confidence.

Can anyone truly believe this woman is qualified to be the Vice President? She did a reasonable job of delivering a script by ignoring the questions and making false statements, but once again the Pallin/McCain ticket offers only rhetoric without substance. Moreover, this woman has no clue about even the basics of the Constitution. Let's be realistic, she will make us the laughing stock of the world. We might be forgiven for electing Bush, but never her. WE should have learned that intelligence and knowledge is fundamental to being capable of leading this nation, as either the President or Vice President.

OK, I admit I was expecting Sarah Palin to be stumbling over her words and getting ready to withdraw her nomination today. She was quite good actually and as confidant last night as she was at the RNC. That said, she is a master deflector when it comes to point blank straightforward answers and in that sense, Biden had the edge. He was smart enough to keep the attack focused on McCain and not Palin. If given the choice of who would make the best successor to the presidency in case of an untimely tragedy, I have to go with Joe Biden. Hillary Clinton yes, Sarah Palin, no. Last night's debate was livelier than the McCain-Obama debate.

Biden came off as a liar and a very insincere politician. Just the kind of person I don't like. Palin wasn't well prepared for this debate and didn't call Biden out on his misinformation at all, but she also didn't lie nearly as much. What was that crap about "McCain voted against funding for the troops".? Can you put ANY MORE spin than that? McCain voted against some stupid amendment that tried to put an early end to the war by offering a little carrot of a small amount of funding. That's what I understand, but it was in the fine print of what Biden said and it didn't support his comment that McCain voted against funding for the troops. I think Biden won the debate, but at the expense of my trust and respect.

How out of touch is she?!? Touting this country full of gosh-darn soccor moms and joe 6-packs? No wonder the US has lost its cred. Sorry Sarah - not everyone wants this type of life (if have better things to do on a Saturday than go to a kid soccer game!)

What ever happened to striving for intelligence?
As an intelligent, educated, open-minded woman - I relate more to Joe Biden than Miss Congeniality.

Most polls show Biden won this debate easily. On substance, just as the first presidential debate, people who align with the neo-con Bush style thinking saw Palin as great, or at least acceptable, and those who align with more classic democratic ideals just cringed at Palin.
In my opinion, she did a lot etter than I expected. Yet, it scares me to think of her as our VP, let alone president. Biden is vanilla, but at least qualified.

When did it become the American way to distain intellect? It is a little strange that so much of his country intentionally gravitates to the uneducated, overzealous, fanatic over the highly articulate and highly educated. Palin, like Bush is another example of it. I keep hearing about how horrible Clinton was from neo cons, but other than his bedroom behavior, can anyone actually say this country is in better hands or shape now?

Clearly people in this country are stupid! Personal responsibility and hard work are gone. Just read the ridiculous comments that are posted here. The typos and poor writing skills prove that. If you're going to shoot someone down at least spell their name correctly! Palin has one L. We need a Libertarian president. Less government, more personal responsibility. The politicians in the Democratic and Republican parties count on people being dumb, uninformed, and unwilling to take care of themselves and their families. They thrive on people feeding off the government nipple. Wake up America and take care of yourselves and your families.

I'd like to remind all of the Democrats bashing Sarah Palin's pronunciation of the word 'nuclear' about Jimmy Carter. Pres Carter studied nuclear physics in college and served in the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program. Through his entire presidency, he pronounced the word 'nuclear' as 'nuke-you-lar'. I don't recall the vicious backlash against Pres Carter that I've seen against Gov Palin, over a word that many Americans mis-pronounce. Let's give this a rest and move on!

I don't mean to be a reverse snob though I've always been a sucker for the underdog. But I am (still, I think) an undecided voter who happened to watch the debate on a big screen at a standing room only forum at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School (having rushed there after seeing the marvelous Sicilian singer Carmen Consoli perform next door). And I have never seen an audience that should be so embarrassed. The contemptuous ridicule and scorn for every word and gesture by Sarah Palin was unbelievable. I could only think: God help us ... and that I'd love to see the SNL parody of that.

Lets stop talking about whether Ms. Palin is qualified or not. She isn't running for President. Let's talk about whether or not Mr. Obama is qualified to be the President of the United States of America. That's the real question. The answer is NO.

It was the most boring debate ever! I think I have seen high school debates with ore passion and conviction. They were both using campaign "trademark phases" and never responded to the question directly. They both talked about what the Presidential candidates would do, but not what they would do themselves. Clearly, Palin is great at politics because she talked for hours and said very little. She said the current economic meltdown “started in Main Street and now is a Wall Street problem”. I feel she may be dyslexic and just read her flash card wrong. Biden was much more eloquent and knowledgeable, but I wanted to see him argue with passion and expose Palin’s inexperience and under qualification. He just accepted the lukewarm tone of the debate. Overall it left me with the feeling that really anyone can be Vice President…really…

As soon as Gov. Palin made the remark about giving the VP's more power, two things happened:

1) The next two debates became redundant (or inconsequential, take your pick), and , 2) The election got locked up. McCain hanging it up in Michigan got lost in the other hoopla, and the Obama trend has turned into a "surge".

The difference between this debate and the Couric interviews? Palin was not consistently called out for dodging questions that she obviously had not prepared answers for.

Couric would repeat questions to force Palin to answer or demonstrate her lack of knowledge. During the debate, Palin dodged the questions that the moderator thought the American people should hear the answer to. What a Maverick! Dodging the questions of the American people, just like Bush and Cheney! She then proceeded to charmingly deliver slogan after slogan in vague support of McCain and Bush’s already proven to fail policies.

She also mentioned that she would be the point person on energy. Hmm, a leader on energy who doesnt believe that man’s actions are causing global warming, and whose only expertise is in oil…thats just what America needs.

Sarah Palin was more canned than a tin of Starkist. Good thing the back of her skirt concealed her pull-cord.

A surprising bit of good news: polls show that she didn't fool most debate-watchers. Viewers approved of Biden's serious discussion of Iraq, but approval nosedived when Palin pulled out her "white flag" comment. Sorry, Sarah, I think we've all heard "cut and run" before, and it's not 2004.

Which reminds me, every single Palin supporter on this thread proudly and smugly pulled the lever for George W. Bush in the last election. So pardon me if I think their opinions are not worth a roll of Charmin.

Anyone who at this juncture in U.S. history remains undecided about this election shouldn't be permitted to vote. We have to have some sort of mental illness threshold.

The choice is stark: either, a) you want to let the GOP use lies, fear and wedge issues to force you to vote against your personal economic interests (or possibly, you'd rather be unemployed in a country that bans abortion, criminalizes homosexuality and allows prayer in schools), or b) you want to buy a Ferrari, but that new $2M Bugatti looks awesome.

You are either a multi-millionaire or a stooge if you vote for a republican.

I say this will all sincerity...

It frightens me that people actually think Sarah Palin is qualified to be VP OR President of our country. I am literally losing sleep over this. She didn't answer the majoriyt of the questions posed to her and she was extremely condesending. The fact that she is a "hockey mom" may qualify her to be President of the PTA but not our country. She is NOT qualified to be our President. I'm not saying Biden is perfect, I'm not even saying I don't think McCain is the right man for the job...I'm saying that to put Palin THAT close to the office of the President would be a HUGE mistajke!saying

Biden looks like he wants to steal all of my money, and Palin looks like she wants to take my money and go shopping.

Listen people, voting Republican in 2000 and 2004 resulted in Major Disasters for this country in foreign affairs and the economy. How can anyone not recognise that at this point? How could voting Republican in 2008 change or improve things? Do you people *still* think Bush & Cheney are wise and honorable men? Get over your petty prejudices against us overeducated eastern elitists and vote as if it's important this time, as if you're adults. Vote for Obama- you needn't tell your family and friends. Then when there's some extra cash in your wallet in a couple of years and your friends are a little happier that things are generally going better, you can smile inside knowing that you helped make it so.

What Palin has going for her is what the people of this country want, a normal, average American. She may not be want the politicians want or deem as experienced but she definately knows the struggles that regular people face on a daily basis. Most politicians have never known what it is like to work for peanuts and figure out how to pay bills. She speaks directly to the people that are most effected by the economy.

Joe Biden has run for President twice already.
He is a 36 year senator. Which comes with all the insider connections and the buddy network. He absolutely has no concept what the real world is like.
That's 36 years of debating experience because that's pretty much all of what senators do.
He pretty much tied or lost to Palin who has 6 weeks experience.
Pretty funny.

Palin is such a joke....No wonder she has been avoiding the media, she had to memorize all those 'McCain facts' for last night. She tried to identify with the common people, those who make $42k a year. I think she is hard pressed to do that since her family income is $1.2 million. So no Sarah Palin you are not like me or the other 200 million Americans in the middle class. And cut the 'good old boy' talk, it's insulting. Also when did Alaska separate from the Union, she talked as if it was it's own country. I absolutely loved the 'deer in the headlights' look when she came out, goes to show how inexperienced she is at this level. With a month to go until the election, she should be able to speak to an audience without being nervous and getting tongue-tied. God help us if she becomes Prez!

Two thoughts: one, the moderator was EXCELLENT. Let's not forget the republican's racist insinuation that she wouldn't be capable of holding a fair and balanced debate. two, for the folks that like palin, even if she did exceed expectations, did she demonstrate the fact that she's capable of doing that job? How does being a folksy, hockey mom give you the skills needed to handle sensitive socials issues, negotiate political deals, or jawbone dictators?

Wow. What a mess. Can anyone imagine Palin as President? You could easily tell when she had a memorized answer to a question and when she was confused. And when asked about Cheney's belief that the VP is not part of the Executive Branch - the quesiton went right over her head. She had no clue. Despite her joke, she really doesn't know what a VP in the US does. And she coudl not articulate one position - on the economy, health care, or foreign policy. Nice smile, no substance. Palin is not helping McCain, she's hurting. What were they thinking?

Why does it matter how Palin or McCain pronounce "nuclear"? Have you heard Obama try to say "Massachusetts"? He pronounces it "MassaTOOsetts".

Palin proved, once again, that she is clearly unfit for high national office. Her knowledge is superficial at best of those subjects that are crucial for anyone to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Her selection as VP candidate shows that McCain's judgement was wrong, again.

I wrote a similar comment in a blog not too long ago.

The primary job of the vice president is to be ready when the president dies or is incapacitated. The second primary job is to break ties in the Senate as the Senate President. I imagine that Dick Cheney does not spend long hours in the Senate at that role, but rather tells George what to do. However, most vice presidents have taken a very back seat in the Executive branch of Government.

I like Joe Biden. I believe he is a “seasoned politician” who knows his way around Capitol Hill and has many relationships with politicians here and abroad. Others view him as being an “Insider”, but that may very well be what we need in order to accomplish getting the major issues resolved. He certainly can fill the primary responsibility of Vice President, and also act as Barack Obama’s advisor in the capacity that he described during the debate, as a liaison to Congress and an advisor on national and world issues. If this was the first meaningful examination of Joe Biden for voters, I imagine they saw him as being confident, having the ability to lead and communicate, intelligent, understanding, and ready to take the office of the President if a tragedy happened.

I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of Sarah Palin as President of the United Sates if McCain should die in office. The Republican choice was not to find the best person for the job in the event that the President cannot serve, but to bring votes to the ticket. If McCain is elected, I believe he will have Sarah Palin to thank, since a good number of Americans have rediscovered their buried “puppy love” with the notion of Sarah Palin as VP.

It’s evident to me that a bunch of mavericks are not going to change Washington. What will change Washington is the decision of Senators and Representatives to work together beyond partisan politics. Mavericks are not going to tell Congress what to do. Peacemakers and compromisers are what we need to enact major reform, including the process that is followed and the major bills that need to be passed. We don’t need more cowboys shooting up the place in Washington.

Sarah Palin strikes me as a “my way or the highway” personality. That just doesn’t work on Capital Hill, unless your party has the majority rule with enough for veto override. Of course if she only stays in the role as VP, she won’t have much opportunity to work with Congress anyway, so it doesn’t matter how much of a maverick she is. (I really don’t think she’s too much of a maverick anyway. She’s got “GOP” branded all over.)

The poll for the Globe says 62% think Biden won.
Comments on here immediately after the debate had a heavy dose of Palin supporters at least two of whom said EXACTLY the same line verbatim. Does that strike anyone else as odd? Nothing like a little propaganda activism.

And will someone tell this ridiculous overrated housewife that the word nuclear is pronounced noo-klee-ahr?

I'm an immigrant so I cannot vote until I become a citizen. (One year to go, I believe.) Being Canadian, I have always followed US politics because the countries are so closely related. Now, I live in Denver. Here is what I have taken away from the debate:

1.Biden "looked" like a president. If something were to happen, I can see him running the country.

2. She continued to crack me up with the winking and flirting with the camera. Does she realize that this event was there to help the campaign or to make her look good?

3. Biggest point: If I could vote, Palin did NOTHING to make me want to vote for John McCain. She kept talking about Alaska and her term as mayor. While both are impressive, there are 49 other States in the Union. Biden opened the door many times to allower her to say "How McCain is different from Bush" and she kept deflecting it by saying "we are not talking about the past." Well, the voting public in this country want change. Biden said that they are not like Bush, she didn't. While she didn't come across like Tina Fey she didn't do anything to truly help their cause
.

Chris in Boston:

Palin said "Nucular" each and every single time. It's not folksy, it simply sounds stupid.

Palin did an outstanding job. Welcome to national politics Sarah!
Unfortunately she could unzip her skin and Ronald Regan could jump out and the Republicans still couldn't win this thing!

Palin in '12

It seems to me like Ms. Palin was talking down to us with her tone and demeanor. She needs to speak more intelligently! We expect people in her position to be eliquent and be intelligent. I don't feel she portrayed that.

Yes, I would have rather seen more debate and less cutesy answers, but if Palin has done this good so far what do we have against her.....maybe McCain/Palin ticket is the true 'Change' we need?!? Biden seemed surprised with Palin's composure and was too much of a gentleman. If Palin were a 'man' then perhaps everyone would not be criticizing her folksy talk - she started her response folksy and then ramped up to her strong beliefs and then put the little barracuda twist in at the end - wait til she gets in office then it will be honesty and integrity - she will not be swayed and will stand for what she believes all of us Americans want. Biden sheds somewhat of a tear he gets sympathy, but if Palin were to do that then it is a sign of weakness!...not fair...Let's get rid of the sexist comments and look at the candidates - who would you be more likely to trust? I am not in love with any of them all four of them have their faults, but I will be damned if I am going to give Obama my vote regardless - I DO NOT TRUST HIM! - so I will take the lesser of two evils and go with McCain/Palin. It surely is a scary scary time we live in nowadays - is there really any two candidates that could win this nation over? I do not think so.

Lol... I must have watched a different debate from "Y'All"... In my version, Biden actually *gasp* ANSWERED the question being asked... while Palin did her best song and dance (and wink) to push every question over to the only thing she might actually have a bit of knowledge about... oil in alaska.. For everyone who says that Palin won... please watch the debate again.. I think her straight talkin was great for the 1st 30 mins or so... but - as clearly shown on the CNN tracker graph - the audience was quick to catch on to her diversion tactics and saw right through the act... I'm still amazed that folks didn't see that. If you are Rep and are going to vote Rep no matter what.. just admit it.. but come on.. Palin clearly lost this debate.

You betcha, gosh darn, we're all elitist liberal snobs because we demand an intelligent person in office. Sorry, but I like my weather girls better when they stick to things they know, like lipstick, hockey and what beer is on sale. 8 years of having a drinking buddy in office has left this country in ruins. A shoot first, ask questions later approach has lead to one monumental disaster after another. Can America really survive another 4 more years of this GOP philosophy.
And just for the record, America's economy in modern times has always done better under Democrats than Republicans, and that's a fact.

"God save us, and shame on anyone who is 'undecided' after the last eight years. For those of you who outright support this joke of a ticket - you have major, major problems.
Posted by mgray9000 October 2, 08 11:24 PM"

it must be nice that you have it all figured out for the rest of us!!! who needs the debate when we have you mgray2000!

Palin seems a PUPPET - merely repeating what she is told to say; appearing vehement about what she is told to believe. Does she have any original thoughts? Her Katy Couric interview was the 'real Palin' - unknowledgeable, unprepared and simply out of her depth.

A PUPPET is what we have had the past 8 years - we need leaders who think for themselves and know the issues cold. Remember the term 'Policy Wonk'? Not very sexy, but voters want a Policy Wonk to set policy, NOT beginners just learning this stuff.

Sarah Palin presented herself well; yet steadfastly refused to answer the questions of Gwen Ifill. Refusing to take the questions posed in a debate, or questions posed by a journalist shortchanges Americans of their right to know. Palin calls this "straight talk"; Bush also campaigned as a straight talker and I have had my fill of straight talk. Candidates should take questions seriously and answer to the American people.

Anyone who thinks Obama/ Biden is the better choice is CLUELESS. Tell me what Obama has said that has ANY substance? This is why the US is going down the tubes.. you have the rapping, MTV, I don't care about studying, I need an iPhone crowd who thinks Obama is the man... Boy, we are in trouble.

To all you idiots who say that it scares you to think that Palin would be a heartbeat from the Presidency or that you are not comfortable with the idea of a Palin Presidency...What should be more scary to you folks is that Nancy Pelosi is currently two heartbeats away from the Presidency...think about...that is pretty scary!

They both did well. However, for the people that consistantly point out Mrs. Palin's verbal miscues, I have one word from the debate for you..."Bosniaks". A Biden-ism.

Something tells me SNL won't pick up on that.

Last night was a small edge for Biden, which coincidently will be viewed as a win for Mrs. Palin.

Nobody's mentioned Biden's complete misquoting of the US Constitution. Article 1 is about the Legislative Branch, not the Executive Branch. And it does mention the Vice President.

Also the 3 weeks of Iraq spending (7 Billion) equals all of Afghanistan spending (200 Billion).

I guess if Biden says it, it must be true. How can you write an article that deals with fact-checking and not include this?

Many of us confuse folksy with stupid. Reagan and W are proof that you don't need to be articulate (Reagan was, W is not), you don't need to be sophisticated, you don't need to be well read or educated, you just need to figure out how to win elections. That's where we've been fooled. This is a popularity contest.
"Joe six pack" loves Palin and she know it as does her party. I might never understand why, but there is about half the voting population that identifies with the likes of Palin. Substance is of no importance, it's a sense of who "Joe six pack" trusts. No debate or issue will change the connection between about half our voting folks and their folksy candidate.
The image of W as stupid is probably the biggest hoax I have ever fallen for. It got him elected and no amount of quotes or blunders seemed to matter. Even after 8 years of poor performance, the same emotions are at play in this election just with a new cast of characters. McCain on his own could not capture the folksy crowd, with Palin he does.

Up until this debate, I really wasn't very familiar with Joe Biden. However, after seeing Biden last night, I have to say that I really like him. He was very knowledgable and able to discuss any topic. Clearly he did a better job than Palin. Palin didn't even address many of the topics, either changing the subject or giving incoherent answers instead. I'm sure all the right-wingers will try to say Palin won the debate or did a good job just because she didn't fall flat on her face like everyone was expecting. But she also showed she was not knowledgable about many issues. Sure Palin is likeable, but I think she's much better suited for acting on SNL than being in politics.

I love the fact that she basically said she is against gay marriage..she is honestly embarassing.

I'm stunned that anyone across the country could possibly think that Palin outdid Biden last night. Admittedly, Biden at times seemed ready to slip into his old habits of opening his mouth without processing fast enough, but managed well enough to keep it from happening. Palin last night couldn't find an unrehearsed sentence with two hands and a flashlight. At multiple points, when asked the question second, she needed to collect herself as though she had just been asked the question herself. Anyone could see that she was an improvement over that disastrous interview with Katie Couric; but have we set the bar so low after that interview, that we'd consider this a success and by extension that she actually was better than Biden?

I'm stunned that anyone across the country could possibly think that Palin outdid Biden last night. Admittedly, Biden at times seemed ready to slip into his old habits of opening his mouth without processing fast enough, but managed well enough to keep it from happening. Palin last night couldn't find an unrehearsed sentence with two hands and a flashlight. At multiple points, when asked the question second, she needed to collect herself as though she had just been asked the question herself. Anyone could see that she was an improvement over that disastrous interview with Katie Couric; but have we set the bar so low after that interview, that we'd consider this a success and by extension that she actually was better than Biden?

Palin wiped the floor with ol' Joey B.

Can you imagine that someone would think Sarah Palin is qualified? She is Gidget!!!! Its like taking an SAT test for admission to college and stating matter of factly that "i will only answer those questions that I know the answer to". Then describing this as being a Maverick. She avoided answering anything she doesn't understand. Republicans should be embarassed. Mitt Romney must be cringing.

At my exercise class this morning all the girls (I can call them girls because they are all over 65) were "thrilled to pieces" with Sarah Palin. A "positive", "happy", "bright", "delightful" person who seems capable of handling any challenge, rising to any occasion. But, what do we "poorly uneducated","homebodies" know. We, who really are the middle/lower class.

McCain will be 72 soon and looks 82. He has lived a hard life with 5 years of torture in captivity. As a country, we owe him a debt of gratitude. Having said that, the chance of him passing away while president is real. Palin is no more qualified to be president than Joe 6 pack. She terrifies me. She is the reason that I am voting for Obama.

It doesn’t matter who won or lost last night. It doesn’t matter who spoke more eloquently, who made more gaffes, who looked at the camera and who didn’t.

All that matters is the following:

Biden is qualified to lead our Country and become President if, and when, necessary.

Palin is not qualified.

It’s as simple as that.

This great country is in trouble if Palin/McCain get in. Last night Palin did well but she didnt answer any question that was asked of her. I cant believe that people here are actually saying that she is a viable VP. She was coached very well over the last few days. The world is watching so its important america doesnt screw up and ignore that last 8 years of bush administration and vote McCain/Palin in.

Anyone ever notice that whenever a Palin/McCain... whoops, McCain/Palin comment gets posted on any one of the 1000's of websites, they invariably spell almost everything wrong, as if its the first time they've used a keyboard? Does anyone find this frightening?
Posted by Bob Shumer

Invariably spell almost everything wrong? Really? THEY do? It's the first time= IT IS the first time. IT'S, with an apostrophe. So what was that about glass houses??

Comment of the night was when Palin pointed out that only a short while ago, Biden wanted to be McCains running mate.

Sure, Biden is better at this, and Obama has a great personality. But the best debaters cannot be considered the best on running a country. The USA definitely needs a real change, not politicians that just state they're for change, cause that is obvious, and then they just say whatever sounds good to their audience. I wonder how Iran, Korea ,and some other evil countries would take conversations with Sarah. They might end up jumping out windows to escape!!

This is a laugh a minute.
First , the incorrect pronunciation of Nuclear, has been noted to be used by EVERY seated president since Eisenhower. Also last years Nobel Prize physicist Peter Grünberg, also uses the incorrect pronunciation, which many dictionaries atrribute to the common usage of the words, molecular, ocular and Vascular.

Now on to the fun...
If you get a transcript of both the first Presidential debate and this debate, you will find that Sen Biden used, several statements made by Sen Obama, VERBATIM! And yet people here mention Palin being a puppet.?
Biden said that 5 former secretaries of state have advised talking with adversaries. Uhyeah, as opposed to fingerpainting with them?
I personally counted Sen Biden misspeaking words 14 times. Like Million instead of Billion, Mccain instead of Obama-(twice)
Biden looked like a bumbling fool. And whats with the "John" all the time? how about informing sen Biden that you dont use an informal , when the person wasnt even there. I mean please, yep your McCains lifelong friend, but yet you shot him down pretty hard...with friends like these...etc. Palin's only score however besides the joke remark, was when she stated that biden had voted differently and verbally disagreed publicly, with obama on many occasions, but hasnt done so since he got the vp nomination. To which biden replied that he always agreed with sen obama. ( Oops.) Or When biden tried to stick it to palin with the bridge to nowhere remark, except that biden actually voted to fund the project in the first place. (duh)
All in all, Biden looked more like a politician, and Govenor Palin looked more like a person.

Lou, Bosniacs is the proper term for Bosnian muslims.

...you people said the same thing about John Kerry and look what happened...for all the Dems that think they have it in the bag....you never know...
If you notice that everytime Biden got aggravated or on the defense he had those "beetie" little eyes. I think this debate was at least more civilized that O-who and McCain.... I give Palin credit....she held her own. The show's not over yet people.

Admitedly, "Bosniacs" was dumb. I hope SNL does pick up on that--it makes for fine comedy. But they should also pick up on the winking, the "darn it all" and the "poison on Main Street infecting Wall Street". At best this was a draw. A few times she sounded sincere (in her opposition to gay marriage, for example). Beyond that, I would have to go with Biden winning on sheer ability to answer questions.

I think one of the first things you need to do in order to win a debate is to speak in complete sentences. Further down the list might be, "Don't give a shout-out like the drunk guy behind the local news crew." Palin avoided any serious gaffe but failed to engage in the questions. You can't answer every question posed to you with "energy." Biden wasn't perfect, but I don't think anyone can seriously imagine Palin sitting across the table from Putin.

I love the fact that she basically said she is against gay marriage..she is honestly embarassing. Posted by smartie October 3, 08 12:14 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ummm, smartie - so did Joe Biden.

Palin is no more qualified to be president than Joe 6 pack. She terrifies me. She is the reason that I am voting for Obama. Posted by atc October 3, 08 12:33 PM
~~~~~~~~~~

And please enlighten us ALL as to how Biden's running mate - who's running for President, not VP - *is* qualified?

Oh that's right - he's not. But people seem to conveniently forget that fact.

Palin is a ridiculous simpleton. She makes George Bush look semi-intelligent. It's laughable how desperate the neocons are to try to justify McCain's wreckless pick of this moron to potentially run our country. It's downright disrespectful. Wake-up people. Stop condoning this embarrassment. And anyone who is undecided at this point should not be allowed to vote.

There is no wrong or right answer in any situation like this. No one is right and no one is wrong. You should vote, from you own unique perspective, for the person you think can do the most for us at this point in time. It's really not something worth arguing about.

Biden destroyed Palin? Did you watch the same debate I did? I thought Biden looked OLD, TIRED, and HAGGARD, whereas Palin looked vibrant, awake, and energized.
Biden has waited all his life to be in this position and that's what he gave us last night? No thanks...
He had no idea how to handle Palin's retorts - all he did was nervously laugh, look to Gwen for sympathy, and/or smile.

Watching Pa_in was PA_INful...
There was something missing.... Like maybe, a real candidate, one with substance, or someone that has fought for human rights, medical insurance for all or the right to decide to carry a rape baby or not... Oh, wait, there's no other better choice of a woman candidate like that out of the 140,000,000 or so females available... or so, MCPain would have us all think....

She was awful, oh, I mean pityful, er ah, wait, that's a sexist attitude, ah, maybe just forget what I said... I don't want to look liberal... What a mess Rove got us in....

OK - let's be serious - Palin is NOT qualified to be Vice-President of this country.
It was an insult to Americans everywhere her lack of knowledge - the only subject that she obviously had any knowledge on was Energy - which was why she kept turning any question back to that topic. I am a women - and am insulted that this was the running mate that John McCain picked - what about Elizabeth Dole? She is not the most intelligent, nor the most political savy that the Republican party could have found. And, as a mother I have one other question - why are her children not in school - or even in bed at 9:30 at night - that poor baby she keeps parading around with should be on some kind of a schedule. I hope John McCain enjoyed his 15 minutes - he will get no where with Palin on his ticket!

I suppose that depends on what qualities you feel a presidential candidate requires. I'd go with integrity first. I think that ability to change one's opinion in light of new information and the courage to turn away from out-dated party ideologies should also be of strong consideration. Being articulate certainly helps in talking with the public, and at times, other world leaders; but I wouldn't put this at the top of the list. I can't say for certain that either candidate meets the second criteria; but I'm reasonably sure it's less likely to be McCain given his age and his history.
The beauty of Obama to most and frightening prospect at the same time, is that he is a relative unknown to most out there. His voting record, while clearly left-learning just isn't long enough to compare him against the likes of McCain and Biden for instance. If given the chance, he may in fact bring the needed change to this country; but then again, he may end up represent more of the same political establishment that has plagued this nation since its founding. I think this a chance some people are willing to take; given that the McCain/Palin ticket appears to a fair number of people to be more of the same.

Hey where did my comment go it was there what happened

Palin debates like an octopus: scuttle for cover, change colors, and squirt ink in the water.

Maybe she didn't humiliate herself in the usual way, but so what? By running from questions, taking cover in the average-mom act when she needed to, and spouting rehearsed party-line fluff, she still made the case that she's not somebody we can trust anywhere near the White House except as a tourist.

Go Sarah... She did great. She is ready for primetime in just 6 weeks of being on the national stage. That is amazing. This was a great debate. Both did well, but Sarah definitely connected to the American people. She just proved that all you liberals in the media, journalists and pundits were dead wrong on her. She is a maverick, she has guts, strength, determination, wit, compassion and inteligence and style. How refreshing in a politician. She is no typical politician, bring on more of those Alaska types. She has my vote. Nobama... the most liberal freshman senator of them all. He is by far the most inexperienced of all 4 of the candidates. Mags

Joe Biden will be saying "Mrs. President" in the Senate Chambers six months from now.

You folks who think Sarah Palin was great SCARE me even more than she does. Her down-home folksy style was cultivated solely to fool YOU into a false sense of kinship with the kind of woman not one of you would want to work for or with. Her record is that she was the mayor of a small town that is not even as big as West Chester, Pennsylvania for a few years and for less than two years has been the governor of the state with the smallest population and the most valuable natural resources. And she yammers on about her experience as a mom, as a business owner and as governor. What business did she own and run?????

In my opinion every person on this earth has told a lie during their life. No one is PERFECT! We are ALL HUMAN! So why do we expect POLITICIANS to be honest 100% of the time, be ethical, dependable, and responsible for their actions? Wake up America, it's NOT going to happen! In the current upcomming election all we can do is vote for the "lesser of the two evils".

Unfortunately for our country, the same kind of people who elected Bush not because of his credentials but because he was a potentially good drinking companion, are precisely those who are unconcerned that Palin might potentially become president of our country. Apparently they have taken little heed of the disaster of the past eight years. And it is probably exactly those people---probably less educated, perhaps racist as well as those making payback for Hilary's loss---that might turn a swing state to McCain and give him the victory. What a disaster!

Can you imagine, in your wildest dreams, how Palin would handle the crises of today that would probably most affect those who vote Republican? We just don't learn.

No wonder that most of the world disrespects America

Palin did a great job!!! I think she could handle any crisis. She has more experience than top of the democratic ticket. Obama is very charismatic, and a very good speaker, but he doesn't have the experience required in these scary times. As far as comments that Palin doesn't understand the vice presidents job, it's the other way around. Biden was wrong. Check it out on Washingtontimes.com . There was a lot of fact twisting on BOTH sides of the debate. Check out Factcheck.org

Oh stop it! She has worked her way up a ladder with a husband and five kids! Give her a break. She did good,period! Meow!! no more. watch Fox sunday night at 9pm est it will be on Obama's missing years. His education was paid for by Khalid Abdullah a.-Mansour mentor to the black panthers, anti-semetic and friend to the Arab that tried to give Mayor Giuliani a check after 9/11 and Rudy wouldn't take it. This guy is a muslim and paid for obama because he was/is a muslim. If you plan to vote for Obama then you need to educate yourself, don't do it blindly. This man has a very scary background and a very muslim one. He's the pied piper

Hey #221
John McCain has run for President twice already.
He is a 26 year senator, Which comes with all the insider connections and the buddy network. He absolutely has no concept what the real world is like.
That's 26 years of debating experience because that's pretty much all of what senators do.
He lost the last debate to Obama, look at the polls! He'll loose this one to if he insists on avoiding the issues, as he usually does. Distractions and lying are his focus, not this country, not the middle class, not the issues that concern us.
The truth seems to be inconvienent truth for McCain.
Pretty funny.