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Folksy And Elusive

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2008

Sarah Palin showed up with folksiness and grit. Joe Biden brought emotion and substance.

The two provided a captivating matchup for Thursday night's vice-presidential candidate debate.

In the end, however, Biden's deep knowledge of domestic and foreign policy easily trumped Palin's often superficial presentations.

Too often Palin, the Republican, retreated to rally language and platitudes about her running mate, John McCain.

Biden, the Democrat, did a better job of providing specifics about how he and his running mate, Barack Obama, would perform in office.

Palin signaled her strategy early on when she informed Biden that "I may not answer the questions the way you and the moderator want to hear ..." Translation: She wasn't going to answer the questions asked. But the American people deserved straight answers to moderator Gwen Ifill's straightforward questions, and many times they didn't get them from Palin.

Both candidates expressed sympathy for the economic concerns of ordinary Americans. Biden launched a withering attack on the Bush administration for its economic policies, while Palin acknowledged that the federal government had failed to provide sufficient oversight.

Biden turned in a particularly strong performance on foreign policy. He emphasized the importance of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the war on terror and explained the need for more effective diplomacy.

Biden had the most emotional moment as he described his own challenges of single parenthood.

Palin had faltered badly on some televised interviews. She recouped some in the debate, showing the combativeness and originality that first drew her to McCain's attention.

But Palin's dodges and gaps in knowledge gave little indication that she is ready to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

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