Joe Biden was substantive, thoughtful and in command. Sarah Palin ignored virtually every question and stuck to generalities and platitudes...It was all boilerplate--like she was giving a scripted pep talk, not proving she could handle the toughest job in the world. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Expectations for Palin were so low that the mere fact that she managed to keep talking and to keep assailing Obama will be rated as a great victory...But it was Biden who knew what he was talking about, who could engage in argument and who showed he actually understood the issues Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

It was Biden who knew what he was talking about, who could engage in argument and who showed he actually understood the issues. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

I think a visitor from Mars watching this debate would have been struck by the fact that Sarah Palin could barely get a paragraph out without mangling what she was trying to say. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

With America facing two wars and economic disaster, Americans ask if a candidate is up to the job. By any rational assessment, Palin wasn't tonight -- and hasn't been any time she's not reading a teleprompter...A part in Fargo, yes -- that office in the West Wing, no. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

I'll admit it—Joe Biden is my kind of debater. Dispassionate and disconnected, he speaks to my inner wonk.  He rambles, he extrapolates, he uses obscure references.  And tonight he hit harder and with more detail than Gov. Palin...Sarah Palin wasn't brilliant. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

So far, he hasn't been patronizing or insulting. In terms of working-class street cred, Palin is in a league – or a universe – of her own. (Don't ya think?) But Biden holds his own. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

The great weakness that Palin could not overcome is a "reality-based" problem: the economy is tanking. On the one hand, Palin said she wants to get government out of daily life. On the other hand, we need more regulation to combat "greed" and "corruption."Excuse me, but something doesn't add up here Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Joe Biden won most of the questions based on debating points. He drove home a series of specific attacks on John McCain's record that often went unanswered by Palin. But Biden generally adopts the charmless manner of the Senate floor debate. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Biden, we should remember, is a scrappy lawyer with working-class roots, and he came across Thursday night as a more effective, plausible, nuanced but no-nonsense populist tribune than the Democrats have had in years. Given the current zeitgeist, he was just what the Democrats needed. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Have we reached the point of mediocrity in this country that Sarah Palin's debate performance was actually acceptable to her supporters...because she didn't fall on her face...That's your standard? No wonder there are still some of you who still think George Bush...is a good president. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 3rd, 2008

This was Senator Biden's night...Tonight, Joe Biden showed why he is the right person for that job. On question after question, he demonstrated knowledge, careful thought, and a willingness to make hard decisions. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Palin did not fall completely flat on her face. But she buckled, especially when questions focused on Iran and Pakistan. Margaret Thatcher never made an appearance...Palin's big problem...isn't ideology. It's her lack of seriousness, especially on foreign policy. That's no joke. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

The true star of the show last night was the forgotten man of the 2008 race, Senator Joe Biden. Often derided as verbose and gaffe-prone, last night Mr. Biden was concise, disciplined and even emotional as he turned in one of the better debate performances in recent presidential campaign history. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 3rd, 2008

WELL, SARAH Barracuda didn't drown in the pool, but she didn't do so great in the deep end. She didn't embarrass her icebox state, her party or her running mate. But neither did she much alter the view that she's little more than a quick study with good instincts Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

If you follow the facts, and if institutionalizing Dick Cheney's bad works into the workings of our government scares the bejasus out of you, then Biden clearly won. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

...God, what a pompous windbag Joe Biden is. The man is a hack’s hack. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Palin's syntax is odd, and she has noticeable verbal tics, saying "here," "there" and "also" too much. Occasionally, she gets lost in a blizzard of her own words. But the quirkiness makes her more vivid, setting her apart from the rest of the political establishment. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 3rd, 2008

She roasted Obama’s flip-flops on the surge and tea-with-dictators declarations, dinged Biden’s bash-Bush rhetoric, challenged the blame-America defeatism of the Left, and exuded the sunny optimism that energized the base in the first place Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

With a solid, articulate, polished performance tonight at the debate, Sarah Palin made liars of the MSM, which has used edited interviews, elitist snobbery and repeated abuse to try to convince the American people that John McCain's running mate was nothing more than an ignorant, backwoods hick. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Sarah Palin won this debate and puts the campaign in a great position to rail against the media...Sarah Palin is the breath of fresh air on the political scene so many hoped she is. And she’ll be honored to beat the guy who’s been in the Senate since she was in the second grade. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Clearly, Palin was charming and impressive tonight.  She connected with average Americans both through her rhetoric -- as well as by looking directly at us through the camera...Biden did well, too, but based on the expectations, I think tonight was a net plus for McCain-Palin. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Gov. Palin more than held her own in her debate with Senator Joe Biden. Again and again, she took shots at Obama without being disagreeable...There were times when she was a bit more platitudinous than I would have liked, but overall she not only beat expectations. She beat Biden. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Palin did more than what she had to do. She not only ended the debate still standing, but got off some of the evening’s lightest moments. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

But there's no question: She won the debate on popularity. She did her homework, studied hard, and delivered with spunk. Still, I had the uneasy feeling that I was witnessing a data dump from a very appealing droid. And the question remains: Is she ready to be president should the need arise? Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

After the wave of assaults on her , Sarah Palin shows the nation why John McCain picked her and why the center-right loves her.  She has a great night.  Joe Biden does well too, but this was all about Sarah Palin, and she delivered a strong, strong message of energy and change. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

So, in the contest of low expectations, Palin won. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

Overall, while I thought Palin sounded very folksy and genuine during many parts of the debate, and handled herself well, I’m going to give a slight win to Joe Biden, just because he sounded more natural and prepared when giving specifics. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

The question of who won this debate can be answered different ways, depending on how you define winning. I predict that tonight’s debate will mean a bump in the polls for McCain/Palin, thus I conclude that Sarah Palin is the winner here. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

As far as winners- the clear-cut winner was Governor Sarah Palin. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

[Biden] didn't come off as sexist; he didn't make any obvious gaffes. Palin didn't collapse and pushed through the debate with enough speed not to wobble. But it felt as if she needed the speed in order not to wobble. Her inexperience showed; her tone worked best at first and then began to grate. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

She passed. He passed. Palin fared better going against Joe Biden than Katie Couric. Sure, she had moments when she seemed to be working too hard trying to remember what she was supposed to say so she awkwardly regurgitated a string of campaign buzzwords. Who cares? She didn't crash. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 6th, 2008

Averaging expectations, style and points, it was a wash.  Partisans have reason to be satisfied...But the topline here is that, when it comes to worrying about Palin, the McCain campaign can now exhale...she did nothing negatively indelibly memorable, and, at times, was positively impressive Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 2nd, 2008

Palin and Biden were each appealing in their own way -- and in ways that neither McCain nor Obama were in their first debate last Friday. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

The setpford gov didn't screw up too badly and easily beat expectations. But so did Biden. He was particularly impressive on foreign policy Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Biden may have won on points, but I'm afraid Palin won on style. Not my style, but she sure was spunky. That will sway some. Read the Article

Quoted by johncapello on Oct. 3rd, 2008

The race has not been transformed, but few could have expected as vibrant and tactically clever a performance as the one Sarah Palin turned in Thursday night. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

By the end of her opening answers, it was clear she would meet the test. She spoke with that calm, measured poise that marked her convention speech, not the panicked meanderings of her subsequent interviews. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Sarah Palin was sensational tonight. She regained that magic she had at the convention. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

SARAH PALIN’S post-Couric/Fey comeback at last week’s vice presidential debate was a turning point in the campaign. But if she “won,” as her indulgent partisans and press claque would have it, the loser was not Joe Biden. It was her running mate. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 4th, 2008

But even those who find Palin anything but an ideal choice to be vice president (an office she said should have more power), much less president of the United States, had to admit that those winks and twinkles are brought off with a certain style. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

I don’t think this debate changed the direction of this election campaign, and I think Palin’s performance will buck up base Republicans but actually unnerve some independents. The campaign’s trajectory remains unaltered. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

I think a visitor from Mars watching this debate would have been struck by the fact that Sarah Palin could barely get a paragraph out without mangling what she was trying to say. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Tonight made me realize that something missing from [Palin's] ABC and CBS interviews, to disastrous effect, was that charming, spunky, confident everywoman, a side she effectively showed off tonight. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Maybe John McCain should fire the advisers who won't let Sarah Palin do more interviews. The Alaska Governor has faced two major campaign challenges -- her acceptance speech and last night's debate -- and each time she's shown herself worthy of the national stage. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Ms. Palin exceeded expectations in this highly anticipated face-off, though those expectations were low after she had stumbled in recent television interviews. She succeeded by not failing in any obvious way. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Last night's debate was no train wreck for either ticket, but it left one hoping that the remaining two presidential encounters will be more illuminating on the issues. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Her error was that she hardly talked at all about policy solutions, except when the debate got onto the subject of energy and offshore drilling. There, she seemed on terra firma. But on everything else, she gave little more than promises of reform and "maverick"-y governance. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Ms. Palin can presumably claim two victories, though modest ones. She did not offer a reprise of the unsteady responses that marked her interviews with Katie Couric on CBS News, even if many of her answers were not always responsive to the question, particularly when contrasted with Mr. Biden. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

It was not a tipping point for the embattled Republican presidential ticket...But neither did it constitute the turning point the McCain campaign was looking for after a stretch of several weeks in which Senator Barack Obama seemed to be gaining the upper hand in the race. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 3rd, 2008

By that standard, but only by that standard, the governor of Alaska did well. But Ms. Palin never really got beyond her talking points in 90 minutes, mostly repeating clichés and tired attack lines and energetically refusing to answer far too many questions. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

...Substance is not enough to win presidential debates that essentially are television shows, largely aimed at persuading still-undecided voters...As a result...this TV show felt more like a political version of "Jeopardy." Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 6th, 2008

Democrats used to crow about that common touch with Bubba. Well, meet Bubbette. Read the Article

Quoted by brownlu on Oct. 6th, 2008

But the Palin who showed up for Thursday's debate against Biden was anything but defensive. In a fast-paced exchange about a range of domestic and foreign policy issues, she was the aggressive campaigner who in the first weeks of her candidacy had so energized the Republican faithful. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

No, she didn’t look like a deer in the headlights, because she never once paused to look around, or, for that matter, to think. But she didn’t remotely look like a president, either, like the person we trust with decisions of war and peace and life and death. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

When Palin took the stage with Biden last night for what may have been the most public IQ test ever, she had no problem meeting the exceptionally low expectations. She had talking points adequate to fill the 90 seconds on topics Ifill tossed her way, and often forced Biden to defend Obama. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Palin successfully conveyed to those she was targeting that she is a Ronald Reagan-ish outsider who puts God and country first. And The Other is just like that elitist, flip-flopping John Kerry. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 8th, 2008

The debate is over. Palin didn't self-immolate, even though a lot of her answers sounded like a document dump. Sen. Joe Biden didn't make any perceptible gaffes, even though he did run on a little long in his answers. As a result, the McCain-Palin campaign's lease on life has been extended. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

For people who were already inclined to vote for John McCain, there was nothing about Sarah Palin's performance to keep them from doing that. But McCain's problem is that there aren't enough people who are inclined to vote for him, and nothing about Palin's performance changed that, either. Read the Article

Quoted by vle on Oct. 3rd, 2008

Were there any surprises? Not when it comes to the candidates' positions. That wasn't what this debate was about. There never was any doubt about how Joe Biden would do. Instead, it was about whether Sarah Palin could do it -- and she did. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

The first polls pointed to Biden as the clear winner of the debate. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008

Knee-Jerk Thoughts on the Debate. . . and on Palin in particular, whose performance I found less impressive than several others here did. Read the Article

Quoted by Alex_Loomis on Oct. 4th, 2008