Palin might be a better debater than thought?

My opinion is that McCain chose Palin because she is a young, pretty, hard-headed woman -- a perfect contrast to his charming older man attitude --

however, I believe Obama chose Biden for the same reasons! Biden is a loud-mouth who wouldn't have a problem bashing McCain (something Obama can't do), Biden is older and has been in Washington FOREVER (which tries to play off Obama's inexperience), and he's a white Catholic male from Delaware/Pennsylvania with a compelling family story.

I think it would be shallow to bash Palin as a purely superficial choice when I think Obama had the same idea with Biden.

how can anyone say she was a good debater when she didn't actually debate??

she ignored ......
she hedged..........
she even charmed......

but she did not DEBATE.....

....even republicans admit that palin isn't prepared to co-anchor the country ………and the best they can say about the debate is that they are impressed by her “folksiness" and "ability to connect to people” ???!!!

holy cow!! are you kidding???

if anyone gives palin credit for a successful debate they are cheering her on for the wrong reasons!

this was a vice presidential debate not american idol!!!

Like bush, cheny and the other neocon politicos Palin can talk her way through life but she can't do anything constructive except start endless wars, piss people off and F****k things up.

Palin is hard to classify: A female velociraptor or gorgan....I can't be sure, but definitely one of them.

I have grown so I will offer a kind word for palin 1st! I will offer this compliment in the spirit in which palin her self would spew it! "Well that there gal sarapalin from up yonder Alaskan country, well shes gots good memory skillin, every answer was perfectly scripted an well dog nabit she say every word without big word front of her ta reads it!" Now back to educated comments, this woman was so attack driven did anyone else notice her temper flair during a repsonse to Senator Biden's well informed and on point statement. Check the video her nostrils fared! Also, all I ask is that we have her spell the big words she memorized and give definition of the words? Achillie's Heel for example!!

Shes a mother of five - it shouldnt surprise anyone that she is a good debater...

When she knows the issues, and is passionate about those issues, she is an excellent debater. When she has no idea what she is talking about, she has no idea what she is talking about.

Like anything not directly related to Alaska.

OK good for her

honestly this election doesn't matter because this government isn't going to last long enough for the winner to do anything

Do we know if she already as the debate questions, or if there will be any random ones posed to her? Seems like that might be of interest...

I just hope that she maintains enough credibility to stay on the ticket.

I think the GOP is tossing in the towel, but no one in the bullpen want's to throw it.

John Mcsacrificialcaine is, again, thrown to the lions.

Thier mission "regroup" with the ever growing christian coalition for 2012

I can hear her talking points now

"9/11 changed everything"

"fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here"

see "Lois Griffin For Mayor" for more of the Palin debate strategy.

Let's all hope for America sake, Palin shows her true knowledge and why she attended 5 schools in 6 years. She might be good at giving non-answers, but now is a time for substance.

Joe Biden just needs to give Palin enough rope to hang herself with. She's proven she can do that quite well without help from anyone. Unfortunately he likes to talk and talk and talk some more. The man knows what he's talking about, but isn't always aware his audience has gone to sleep. Palin won't make it into the White House, but Hollywood will be knocking. They can't write sh*t this good!

Since the moderator's a women, hopefully she'll be tough on Palin if she doesn't really answer the question. Or, at least point out those flaws.

I am concerned that the American people are ga-ga over her and will forgive her lack of real substance. Gees, when you have a 72 yr. old president the vice pres. should be someone who wasn't picked to pander to women. Furthermore, if women fall for the gender issue which means "vote for me because I happen to be the same gender as Hillary." that would be totally ridiculous and tragic. Women who supported Hillary have little in common with Palin's stance on just about anything.

Can't wait for the debates tomorrow. It's gonna be a hilarious moment. :)

The difference between this debate and Thursday's is they will be debating WORLD issues, not Alaskan...

My mother always said anyone can talk a good game and win your heart. Not hard to believe when you are talking about Politicians. People love rhetoric, we are amused by it. If you speak well and are convincing most likely you will win over the masses. So it makes you wonder do people believe anyone with a big mouth that spits out words in a eloquent manner have the countries best interest at heart? Learn the art of rhetoric and argumentation and you will rule the world.

Sarah Palin may not even be at the debates!

Her "expertise" is urgently needed in Washington to help with the....hahaha!

Man, couldn't even finish the joke.

I'm sorry but knowing and being able to debate the politics of a state whose population is less than the population of the city I live in (Austin) is not impressive to me.

Regurgitating vague, broad talking points and not talking specifics is going to lead to Palin being eaten alive when she debates Biden.

I look forward to Thursday :)

Talk is cheap, show me the Debate.

i think the most important thing to take away from all of this is that we are all aware of how deceptive debate can be. it is a skill based in trickery, lies, and appealing to the sensibilities of the majorities. its time to stop buying into the lies and demanding a little bit of honesty, or at least joining forces to try to reveal politics for the dishonest thing it is.

i am not convinced that either one of the candidates or their running mates are fit to run this nation, and yet i am voting for barack. i think it is ignorant to defend or attack the "other" just because i have made a decision for who to vote for, and yet i am guilty of this, and so are so many people in this country.

do you all really buy into this? are you convinced that this government is set up in the best way? or are you, like me, just falling prey to the hypnotic simplicity of the two party system? i don't know about you, but i'm sick of hearing about the fight between the two parties, one an unstoppable force, the other an immovable object. i'm sick of the people who are in control of my life telling me that i am in control of my life when they know damn well i'm not. i'm sick of lies and i'm sick of ignorance, and i am scared because i don't know how to do anything significant about it.

puppets can read too...

She was picked to get the undecided vote. Intelligent people know, understand, and vote on the issues and already know who they will be voting for... less intelligent people, often referred to as the "bubba" vote, go by looks, cutesy soundbites, and perceived strength. Oh, and also, "who would I have a beer with"...

She may lose the debate, but she will win votes. Biden may win the debate, but will gain few, if any, votes. She was picked to get the undecided vote, and she will. Biden will not attack her, or expose her weaknesses... the Dems fight like gentleman, she is s dog with lipstick and may surprise a lot of people.

But winning a debate and the bubba vote does not matter to most... most see her as for what she is... an imposter and a bozo that interprets the bible literally. Lets just hope for the best...

She might be a better debater than we thought, but she is not the right person for the job that we all believe.

The Couric interview was just a teaser.

Maybe she will have a "wardrobe malfunction" and win over the rest of the idiots that believe this woman is intellectually qualified to be the next VP.

She clearly knows Alaska state politics. When it comes to National issues, she is clueless.

You can debate as well as you want, but you if you can't be honest on television, or your stance on topics is not what the people need, you still will not get into office.

All of the debate experts (or, former perts) are saying that Biden must avoid any confrontations with Palin and stick to the issues presented by host, Gwen Ifill.
If he sees an opportunity to go after McCain, he will. If he sees a chance to talk up Obama, he will.
Anything even vaguely resembling an attack on Palin may be too costly if spun a certain way by conservatives.
I have good reason to believe that Gwen won't let Palin or Biden get away with being too generic in their responses.
Too much is riding on this debate.

I think Tina Fey will make a better VP

What a stupid clip.. This isn't debating.. yes, shes speaking at a debate but the other side is never heard.. There is no actual debating going on in this clip.

The only moment where one of the other members of the debate attempts to speak she immediately interrupts him and tells him it isn't his turn to talk... If you think Joe Biden is going to sit silently by and let her spout the lines shes been fed word for word without any type of retort than you obviously don't know Joe Biden...

Though frankly, sitting silently by might be better for Joe sometimes... (but not during the debate)

master de-bater.

Whether or not Pailin or Biden wins the debate...we need to look at the her experience...Here is a metaphor

Palin being the the mayor and govermor in Alaska is like her being the CEO of a small chain of stores in South Beach...and now she is applying for the chairman of the board for Microsoft....
the scale which she has worked on is in no way a setup to be the vice president

You may be right Krag2112.

I hope you're right and the polls seem to be reflecting the appearance of dissatisfaction with McCain/Palin among voters.

But....you can never under-estimate the voters ability to be swayed.

Palin could very well fire off a bunch of folksy, simple-minded answers in the debates and actually win people back!

There is a power in simple-minded bumper sticker answers that seems to win voters over again and again.

My fear (and I hope I'm wrong) is that she'll sit there for 90 mins looking cute and saying nothing more than "I love Jesus" and "I'm a hockey mom who'll defend America by bombing Iran!" --- and it'll work!

Crob I don't think that number is 50%. The Palin bubble has burst. Nephwrack is right, it was a stunt pick and it has played out. Now McCain will have to deal with the consequences and move on to the next stunt (like "suspending" his campaign). All the while it's becoming more and more obvious to all of America that McCain is desperate and erratic. McCain miscalculated. Sure she fired up the base of the party, but she also fired up Obama's base and has caused independents to seriously question his judgment. Even the right wing hacks on this site can't mount a credible defense of Palin. All we get is warmed over talking points and Obama insults. It's not even worth arguing with them because deep down...they know the truth.

Live by the stunt pick...die by the stunt pick.

please. joe biden is going to make her look retarded. he was by far the best debater in the democratic primaries. he's going to wipe the floor with her i can guarantee that. he is (whether people believe it or not because of the mainstream media smear job on him) maybe the smartest politician in the nation.

no wounder they never let this chick talk any more lol

Karl Rove has been proven right yet again.

Nearly half of all voters are idiots. Or just plan crazy.

No one has ever heard of Gov. Palin prior to a month ago -- and nearly half of America is insisting that she is the most brilliant woman on earth! Somehow the hockey Mom mayor of a town of 500 is now the most brilliant foreign policy expert on earth....because Alaska has a pipeline and Russia is visible from certain far remote sections of the state.

She can't name a single Supreme Court case -- 50 percent of voters still insist (with increasing delusion and hysteria) that Palin is "more than qualified to be President."

She can't name a single newspaper that she's read -- 50 percent of voters still insist (with ever growing mania) that Palin is "100 times more brilliant than Obama"....a Harvard Law graduate and Constitutional Profesor.

No matter what Palin does 50 percent of voters will NEVER admit that she is an idiot. Never.

We all watched the horrifying interview with Katie Couric -- an interview so shocking that Conservative columnists demanded she resign from the ticket -- and 50 percent of voters STILL insist (with mounting insanity) that Palin is 1000x more brilliant than Alexander the Great and Gen. Patton combined. She's brilliant dammit! T'aint no one EVER gonna tell them otherwise.

Are voters idiots or is their irrational hatred of Obama so out of control that they will destroy the country rather than let a Harvard Graduate (you know, an "elitist") win the nomination?

How do we account for this insanity running rampant amongst the Palin zombies?

Palin is a better choice than Obama. And Obama is running for president. OMG. Dem's did to themselves again.

what? are they going to put tina fey in the debate at the last second? Pallin was a stunt that backfired.

someone should do this for biden's debate skillz, i would but i don't know much of much about videoclip editing. i admit, it is worrisome, but it doesn't stop the fact that her basic values, aside from "Alaska's Best Interest" are TERRIFYING if she gets into office.

notice she didn't mention that she also cut funding for hospitals so rape victims had to pay for their rape kits to get tested in hospitals (those bad boys can cost around $300.00)

I still don't believe she's going to do well Thursday night. She's so out of her depth now, as anyone would be if they won the lottery and were selected as VP out of the blue. This video doesn't show a lot. Biden's a clever dude. And Sarah's no pitbull.

WOW! One interview and a debate with a moron does
not make her a great debater.

I think we should point that the global knowledge that she needs to have for the vice-presidential ticket is what is affecting her, as she has shown she does not have that knowledge and I really doubt she will be able to get in a few weeks.
It is not the same for her to know the issues of Alaska than to know the issues of the world, remember, our presidents make decisions that affect the entire world.

I want to see what she thinks, and so far I didn't think she has much to offer. I want he to prove me wrong, I want to eat my words. I think that she will be able to make or break the campign.

Everyone looks like a Hall-of-Famer on a highlight reel. I'd have to see more to really judge for myself.

But the premise that "the [debate] format allows for very little give-and-take" which benefits Palin's "'values'-oriented debating style" does make some sense. See George Bush in 2000.

very sneaky but good. not necessarily on making any points, but good at talking round and round. should be interesting.

yeah one big difference.. there will be no notes. this is no open book test here folks, this is on your toes, thinking for yourself, countering points. people have said obama was great but all he does is read off a prompt, well we saw that he doesn't need it on the debate. all palin has done in the video is read notes and prompts. the debate is her chance to show if she can think. i believe the odds are against her from the looks of her live interviews without notes or prompts....

"And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality."

Oh goodie!

Must... follow... glittering...generality...so...shiny!

Who wants a VP that has policy recommendations?

.....

The only thing she seemed to do well on was being assertive. At the present moment, that's something both her and Obama could use more of.

From the clips, She didn't have any recommendations but she can point fingers very well. She'll fit right into Washington!

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha car sales woman hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Better yet USED car sales woman! Shameful

The difference between the debates we have seen so far and the debate coming up tomorrow night is the fact she is going from State level to National/world level.

Unless she knows her stuff, she is going to falter and we will see right through her.

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

THE SHARK IS GOING TO EAT HER UP

Wow, she does better than Obama. A lot better!

Entering a debate with exceptionally low expectations can be a terrific weapon.

All she is tasked with is not coming across as a clueless blundering moron (as she has in every interview).

She did very well in the clip above. If she does the same with Biden she will assuage many fears that potential voters have.

Strategically this would be a brilliant move.

please look up 'duckspeak'

Nice Propaganda! However the ability to debate is NOT the issue with Palin, it is how she sees the ISSUES facing America and what kind of solutions she understands... Not to mention preparing to be a governor is NOT the same as getting ready to be 2nd in line for President of a country with 2 wars, a financial crisis and a climate crash!

Politics is about perception or Hugo Chavez and AJ wouldn't be leaders of Venezuela and Iran, respectfully.