Biden v. Palin: My Observations

Tonight's debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin was probably the most eagerly anticipated vice presidential debate in out history. Democratic operatives predicted a total Palin meltdown, while Republicans hoped for a total game-changer. It seems they were both wrong.

Tonight, Sarah Palin probably exceeded most people's expectations for her performance. of course, these expectations were set SO LOW that by not falling off the stage or by actually speaking in complete sentences, these expectations were met. The fact that we would even need to set standards that low for anyone who might become President of the United States is beyond frightening. We are here to audition a potential president, not hold a student council debate.

Palin tonight came across as a weird combination of "over programmed" and "over folksy". At some point, I expected her to use the phrase "golly gee willikers". Many of the responses she gave were so mechanical that it was easy to see her memorization. Her vague response to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis pretty much was "I love Israel." I wonder if she could actually find Israel on a world map.

At times, Palin came at the Obama-Biden ticket fairly strong, particularly on the Iraq War and Senator Obama's opposition to the War and the Surge. Then, she went overboard. Accusing Democrats of "waving the white flag of surrender" was overkill. With most Americans wanting us out of Iraq, her criticizing the Democrats for wanting out was probably not helpful. Then, going on to give the wrong name of the general in charge of Afghanistan and to give a wrong answer to the number of troops there quickly returned us to "Amateur Hour".

I also thought Joe Biden under-performed. At times, he came across and boring and stuffy. At times, he got a little too windy, as with his long answer regarding civil rights for same-sex couples. This is one area where I will give Sarah Palin some credit for guts. By saying she supported civil rights for same-sex couples, she took a big risk in her party. Even thought she quickly changed the subject to opposing gay marriage, her stance was still a courageous one.

Biden's strongest moments came toward the end of the debate. When he choked up over his dead wife and daughter, i think Americans saw real emotion that is so lacking in politics today. Of course, Plain taking some subtle digs at Biden by talking about her experiences as a mother set up the scenario perfectly. I wonder if she was unaware of the Biden family tragedy? Is she was unaware, why was she unaware??

Biden also wiped the floor with Palin in terms of closing statements. Her rather bizarre ramblings about losing our freedom and explaining to our children what freedom was like seemed almost our of some Cold War-era propoganda film. Biden's closing remark, however, were dead on. Calling for a complete change from the failed Bush administration, Biden summed this election up perfectly.

All in all, no one could argue that Biden won the debate. He may have been a bit boring, but he showed a real grasp of the issues and a real gravitas. Palin, on the other hand, showed that she is just not ready for the big leagues. While her performance was not the total disaster some had been predicting, I don't think any impartial observer watching could honestly say that Sarah Palin is ready to be president should the need arise.