A Feisty Sarah Palin Does What She Needs to Do

You have to admit tonight’s debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden was a heck of a lot more interesting than the first presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. And it was largely due to the feisty, folksy performance by Sarah Palin; Biden, on the other hand, just couldn’t help talking like a senator who has been around for years and years.

Still it seemed to be a fair fight, well moderated by PBS’ Gwen Ifill, and I’m reluctant to pick a winner. I do agree with several pundits that I’ve checked with this evening that Palin did what she needed to do.

Political Intel at the Boston Globe, said it best: “The Showdown in the Show Me state showed that Sarah Palin may be ready for prime time after all.”

To read Foon Rhee’s complete coverage of the debate go here.

Political Intel also reports the McCain campaign’s statement on the vice presidential debate (evidently they’ve not yet received a statement from the Obama campaign):

"Tonight, Governor Palin proved beyond any doubt that she is ready to lead as Vice President of the United States. She won this debate, putting Joe Biden on defense on energy, foreign policy, taxes and the definition of change. Governor Palin laid bare Barack Obama's record of voting to raise taxes, opposing the surge in Iraq, and proposing to meet unconditionally with the leaders of state sponsors of terror. The differences between the Obama-Biden ticket and the McCain-Palin ticket could not have been clearer. The American people saw stark contrasts in style and worldview. They saw Joe Biden, a Washington insider and a 36-year Senator, and Governor Palin, a Washington outsider and a maverick reformer. Governor Palin was direct, forceful and a breath of fresh air," said Jill Hazelbaker, McCain-Palin 2008 Communications Director.

The McCain campaign has already sent out a fund-raising appeal under Palin's signature that bashes the "liberal media."

"In the weeks since I joined John McCain as his running mate, the Obama-Biden Democrats have used their allies in the liberal media to paint us negatively, all in an attempt to sway undecided voters. Tonight's debate gave me the opportunity to bypass the biased media filter and communicate our shared values of reform directly to the voters," she wrote.

"I know millions were watching as I went toe-to-toe against Senator Biden to explain our plans. Reform Republicans will strengthen the economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and secure our nation from the threat of Islamic extremism."