I have always loved watching Joe Biden in a debate, and last night was no exception.  When Biden debates, almost any time he opens his mouth, something interesting comes out.  Sometimes it's a very well thought out and articulate point.  Sometimes it's a real zinger against his opponent.  Sometimes it's a completely whacky gaffe ... in fact the term "gaffe" is almost synonymous with the name Joe Biden.

Last night I was impressed with Biden's performance.  I thought he did a good job answering the questions Gwen Ifill asked, and he was free of gaffes.  I thought his answers were thorough and, for the most part, fairly sincere, including some completely sincere moments.  Biden did rely quite a bit on rehearsed party-line campaign speak, though, and I continue to be terribly disappointed with the extreme negativity and divisiveness of the Obama-Biden campaign pitch. 

I don't hear enough concrete answers about what would be done differently in their administration now that they've so successfully criticized the current administration.  Biden still failed to outline new strategies last night.  Of course, the Obama-Biden campaign somehow also manage to consistently neglect to point any fingers of blame at our current Democratic Congress, whose approval rating has been in the toilet ever since their 'newness' wore off.  After all, our Congress certainly plays a major role in our legislative actions!  Of course, it's best for the Obama-Biden campaign if We The People forget that so I'm assuming that's why they fail to blame Congress for any of our problems.

I do have to say that I personally agreed with Sen. Biden 100% about the self-evident Constitutional rights of all Americans to have the freedom to choose their own partner, regardless of gender, without forfeiting the rights our Constitution grants to all of us.  It really seems like a no-brainer to me.  I actually cringed when Ifill brought up gay rights.  I feel that too many Republicans end up sounding closed-minded and judgmental when speaking about such topics and the left-wing have a field day with it in the mainstream media.  I consider the topic of gay rights to be an Achilles heel of the Republican party, especially with single-issue voters.

That being said, I expected Biden's answer.  He said nothing that surprised me, although I appreciated the way he said it.  What did surprise me was Gov. Palin's response!  Like I said, I cringed when I first heard the question, knowing that Gov. Palin is a conservative Christian who is proud of her faith and her own personal beliefs.  Instead of what I instinctively feared, Gov. Palin answered the question with resolve and firmness and assured us that she respects diversity and will absolutely protect the Constitutional rights of all Americans!   What a good example she is to all those who share her faith!  That's exactly the kind of leadership I personally believe we need. 

Unlike in a Presidential debate, I thought the question was appropriate last night since the job of the Vice President is to vote in the Senate in the event of a tie. 

In short, Gov. Palin demonstrated clearly and with conviction what I appreciate so much about her running mate, Sen. McCain: the unapologetic understanding that the job description of the President and the Vice President does NOT include telling everyone else what to do so that they conform with your own personal beliefs!  How refreshing to hear that from a politician in the most important election of our lives!

Furthermore, I thought Gov. Palin was completely genuine in her answers.  That scores huge points with me.  Because of the bias in the mainstream media, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are in no way granted equal time in getting their message to We The People.  It was critical last night for Gov. Palin to speak clearly to the American people about what the McCain-Palin ticket stands for and what they will offer us as President and Vice President.  For many, this debate was one of the only times they will have an opportunity to hear Gov. Palin speak for herself. 

Sen. McCain is right when he says that Gov. Palin will stand up and fight for what she believes in and that she will not let anybody tell her to sit down!  That is clear now after watching the debate. 

Another opportunity Palin took by the horns and ran with was criticizing the Bush administration - an opportunity that, frankly, Sen. McCain does not have in the same way.  I doubt that McCain will ever completely throw Bush "under the bus" in this election, despite their differences.  But Palin is a complete outsider and she said it just like it is ... there have been huge blunders in the current administration.  She very effectively reminded us that our government is filled with corruption and that she and Sen. McCain intend to put a stop to it.  I think she buried Biden on this point. 

Honestly, it's insulting to me that the Obama-Biden campaign think we're so stupid that we will believe the corruption exists only in the Republican party.  McCain and Palin point out that corruption exists everywhere in our government and that they will attack it where ever it exists, regardless of party.  And Gov. Palin certainly has a strong record of doing exactly that in her own executive position!

Last night, Biden merely repeated the Obama-Biden campaign mantra of "we're not George Bush and we're not Republicans" ... pretty flimsy compared to actually cleaning up the corruption, especially considering that if Obama and Biden prevail we will basically have a uni-party in control of our government.  I'm not sure the Democrats have demonstrated they can be trusted with such absolute power.  Look what happened when we had the Republican party in near absolute power!  I don't think Americans want to (or can afford to) make the same mistake again in this election. 

Well, I don't think the debate last night was a 'game-changer' for decided voters, but I do believe that Gov. Palin was able to restore a lot of lost faith in her abilities.   I used to believe that her sincerity was her best asset, but now I see so many more. 

She did an excellent job of reinforcing so many reasons why I am voting for McCain-Palin in this election:  national security, energy independence, an unapologetic determination to require government to spend our money more wisely, absolute respect for our Constitutional structure, providing necessary balance to the Democratic Congress, a strong record from both candidates of working across party lines and achieving success, frank explanation of why they made certain decisions in the proper context of conditions at the time, and an ability to disagree personally while finding common ground in our founding beliefs as a nation:  We are all created equal and we each have a right to achieve to our own fullest potential without undue governmental interference.   Not to mention the difference in foreign policy philosophy between the two tickets:  Sen. Biden effectively reminded us that his ticket plans to follow what the world wants us to do, and Gov. Palin very effectively reminded us that the McCain-Palin administration intends to lead our country and the world by example. 

As far as I'm concerned, only one of those tickets represents leadership, and that's the McCain-Palin ticket.  And as far as I'm concerned, I agree with Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin that the Obama-Biden alternative poses real danger to our national security.

I'll give the debate to Sen. Biden technically ... I believe he answered more questions directly.  However, I believe that Palin's performance far out-shined Biden's technical victory.  

Too bad we won't get to see a debate between Gov. Palin and Sen. Obama!  I think she would crush him!

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