Palin struggles to keep up with Biden
GUT-CHECK TIME | Palin's stronger on offense than defense
The vice presidential debate was gut-check time for Sarah Palin. All Joe Biden had to do was show up.
After disastrous press in which commentators were calling for Palin's head, all eyes were on Palin.
(AP)
The question on everyone's minds was whether the time she spent in debate boot camp would pay off.
It was the disarming governor who showed up at the lectern to face Biden, first asking if she could call him "Joe."
But it was the pit bull with lipstick who stepped up to the mike to defend John McCain's record.
"I may not answer the question the way you or the moderator want me to answer, but I'm going to talk to the American people and about my record also," Palin said in dancing around a question about deregulation.
Throughout the debate, Biden was clearly in control of both his facts and his demeanor, while at times Palin struggled to appear in command of the subject.
Palin was better when she was attacking Obama's record and plans than she was in explaining her team's positions.
Surprisingly, it was the senior politician who got off the best one-liner of the night when he capped off Palin's response by using her favorite line against her:
"I call that the ultimate bridge to nowhere," said Biden, describing McCain's health care plan.
Biden ran the risk of alienating women if he had been too tough on Palin. But he managed to be forceful without appearing overbearing when he challenged Palin's facts.
In fact, during the summation, it was Biden who appeared too emotional when he talked about being a single father and having to worry about whether his sons would survive the car accident that killed his wife and daughter.
Palin was at her best when she injected her biting humor into her remarks.
"Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again looking backward," she told Biden, prompting him to chuckle.
The time Palin spent in debate boot camp probably helped, but she was still not convincing when she had to give detailed answers, or the answer wasn't in her study sheets.
During her closing remarks, Palin took another shot at the media, saying: "I like to answer the questions without the filter of the mainstream media," she said.
Given the disastrous reviews of her interviews, it seemed an odd way for her to end the debate.