Print ArticleLast night was a make or break moment for the McCain campaign. McCain´s campaign had gone into cardiac arrest when the ether following the nomination of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate at the RNC wore off. Sarah Palin was an unknown quantity then. She managed to energize his less than exuberant base and give him a much needed lift in the polls, neither of which were destined to last. Since that time she has done three or four interviews leaving voters to wonder if perhaps "the lights are on and nobody is home". Even staunch republican supporters called for her to step down as McCain´s running mate. McCain desperately needed to regain the ground he lost from those pathetic, unintelligible, interviews and as such his campaign went about prepping Sarah Palin for this debate. Apparently they did a pretty fair job.
The first and only vice-presidential debate was held at an auditorium on the Washington University campus in St. Louis, MO. It began with Sarah Palin asking Senator Joe Biden, whom she had never met previously, if she could call him Joe. Protocol would dictate that in circumstances where one is unfamiliar with another, a more formal tone might be appropriate, but not for the self described "Maverick" Palin. As the rules were being established by the moderator Sarah Palin stated that she [paraphrase] may not answer the questions as the moderator or Senator Biden may see fit, but offered that she was at this debate to respond to the people of America and make her case for the office of the vice-president of the United States. She followed that statement up with a wink for both the camera and the audience which appeared as if she were trying to get a date instead of standing for a debate.
The first questions were asked and much to my chagrin Sarah Palin´s scripted replies came off fairly intelligently. She spoke with some level of comprehension on the topics of drilling, climate change, greater accountability for lenders, greed on Wall Street, winning the war in Iraq, the surge, and natural gas pipelines in Alaska. When asked about what is considered her "Achilles Heel" [outlined by the moderator as her lack of experience] she muttered on and on about her accomplishments as mayor and governor in Alaska. She said she fought "big oil" and gave money back to the people of Alaska. She forged ahead with how she and McCain would shake things up in Washington where she was an outsider because she was "Joe six pack". She said that as vice-president she wanted more powers than are now granted under our Constitution. She said that she would put an embassy in Jerusalem to show our commitment to the world for Israel. More often than not, she attempted to get the ire of Senator Biden with her none too subtle digs from the street and incoherent logic, luckily to no avail. She stumbled on the topics of bankruptcy, the bailout bills specifics, what the office of the vice-president actually does or is, how she would fix what is ailing our economy, McCain´s energy plan specifics, Bush´s pre-emptive doctrine for war, wiretapping and the Patriot Act, matters of domestic and international policy, taxation and healthcare, and more. However, she followed those boondoggles up with more of her canned campaign stump mantra and winks to the crowd.
Senator Joe Biden was every inch a gentleman and statesman during this whole affair. He smiled at some of Sarah Palin´s more whimsical, off topic, replies, but kept his own responses on topic and dealing with the issues. He drew clear distinctions between the policies proposed by Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. He outlined how middle America would feel some financial relief from those policies under Senator Obama, but noted that Senator McCain´s plan was aligned exactly with those of the Bush Administration. Senator Biden talked about how important it is that America become energy independent and put our unemployed people back to work. He talked with infinite knowledge about Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, China, and North Korea. Senator Biden knows that the Bush Administrations lack of diplomacy has cost us friends and allies and he and Barack Obama will work hard to bring them back to the table where we can all work toward making the world a safer place. He spoke about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and how the war in Iraq has created a more unstable Middle East and placed America hugely in debt. Joe Biden spoke about healthcare and the challenges of so many American´s doing without. He spoke about the tough decisions facing families across America, whether to feed their families or fill their cars with gas. When Sarah Palin tried to interject maternity as an asset over his manly or paternal instincts for all things family Joe Biden parried well. He said that he did not want to discount motherhood, but that he knew a lot about being a single parent and difficult times. Senator Biden lost his wife and son in a tragic automobile accident that has forever left him a changed and humbled man. He spoke with assurance and sincerity about the struggles facing middle America and exampled his own upbringing in Scranton, PA. Joe Biden´s knowledge is predicated on a good education, hard work, civic dedication, and understanding of the law. With Joe Biden second in command we can all achieve a certain level of comfort that is not possible where Sarah Palin is concerned.
Regardless of how you view this debate it is the utmost concern of America to ensure that we have elected the best possible leadership in these troubled times. Quality leadership should restore confidence, provide credibility, transparency, and oversight, issue diplomacy, ensure accountability, and make informed decisions for the benefit of ALL American´s. A vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden would instill confidence in America and restore our credibility around the globe. Vote Obama/Biden 2008!
The first and only vice-presidential debate was held at an auditorium on the Washington University campus in St. Louis, MO. It began with Sarah Palin asking Senator Joe Biden, whom she had never met previously, if she could call him Joe. Protocol would dictate that in circumstances where one is unfamiliar with another, a more formal tone might be appropriate, but not for the self described "Maverick" Palin. As the rules were being established by the moderator Sarah Palin stated that she [paraphrase] may not answer the questions as the moderator or Senator Biden may see fit, but offered that she was at this debate to respond to the people of America and make her case for the office of the vice-president of the United States. She followed that statement up with a wink for both the camera and the audience which appeared as if she were trying to get a date instead of standing for a debate.
The first questions were asked and much to my chagrin Sarah Palin´s scripted replies came off fairly intelligently. She spoke with some level of comprehension on the topics of drilling, climate change, greater accountability for lenders, greed on Wall Street, winning the war in Iraq, the surge, and natural gas pipelines in Alaska. When asked about what is considered her "Achilles Heel" [outlined by the moderator as her lack of experience] she muttered on and on about her accomplishments as mayor and governor in Alaska. She said she fought "big oil" and gave money back to the people of Alaska. She forged ahead with how she and McCain would shake things up in Washington where she was an outsider because she was "Joe six pack". She said that as vice-president she wanted more powers than are now granted under our Constitution. She said that she would put an embassy in Jerusalem to show our commitment to the world for Israel. More often than not, she attempted to get the ire of Senator Biden with her none too subtle digs from the street and incoherent logic, luckily to no avail. She stumbled on the topics of bankruptcy, the bailout bills specifics, what the office of the vice-president actually does or is, how she would fix what is ailing our economy, McCain´s energy plan specifics, Bush´s pre-emptive doctrine for war, wiretapping and the Patriot Act, matters of domestic and international policy, taxation and healthcare, and more. However, she followed those boondoggles up with more of her canned campaign stump mantra and winks to the crowd.
Senator Joe Biden was every inch a gentleman and statesman during this whole affair. He smiled at some of Sarah Palin´s more whimsical, off topic, replies, but kept his own responses on topic and dealing with the issues. He drew clear distinctions between the policies proposed by Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. He outlined how middle America would feel some financial relief from those policies under Senator Obama, but noted that Senator McCain´s plan was aligned exactly with those of the Bush Administration. Senator Biden talked about how important it is that America become energy independent and put our unemployed people back to work. He talked with infinite knowledge about Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, China, and North Korea. Senator Biden knows that the Bush Administrations lack of diplomacy has cost us friends and allies and he and Barack Obama will work hard to bring them back to the table where we can all work toward making the world a safer place. He spoke about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and how the war in Iraq has created a more unstable Middle East and placed America hugely in debt. Joe Biden spoke about healthcare and the challenges of so many American´s doing without. He spoke about the tough decisions facing families across America, whether to feed their families or fill their cars with gas. When Sarah Palin tried to interject maternity as an asset over his manly or paternal instincts for all things family Joe Biden parried well. He said that he did not want to discount motherhood, but that he knew a lot about being a single parent and difficult times. Senator Biden lost his wife and son in a tragic automobile accident that has forever left him a changed and humbled man. He spoke with assurance and sincerity about the struggles facing middle America and exampled his own upbringing in Scranton, PA. Joe Biden´s knowledge is predicated on a good education, hard work, civic dedication, and understanding of the law. With Joe Biden second in command we can all achieve a certain level of comfort that is not possible where Sarah Palin is concerned.
Regardless of how you view this debate it is the utmost concern of America to ensure that we have elected the best possible leadership in these troubled times. Quality leadership should restore confidence, provide credibility, transparency, and oversight, issue diplomacy, ensure accountability, and make informed decisions for the benefit of ALL American´s. A vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden would instill confidence in America and restore our credibility around the globe. Vote Obama/Biden 2008!
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