VP debate unlikely to change minds

The two major-party candidates for vice president met Thursday evening for their only one-on-one debate at Washington University in St. Louis.

Predictably, the old Senate hand, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware -- who has actually served longer in the Senate than John McCain -- was the smoother and more polished performer, attacking the notion that the absent Republican nominee is a "maverick" who will bring change to Washington.

In comparison, the younger Republican candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, seemed to be winging it, especially during the first half hour, in crafting her answers.

On the other hand, Gov. Palin actually looked like she was enjoying herself, especially as the evening wore on, whereas Sen. Biden, as the evening progressed, looked more like a scowling sourpuss. The big question is whether voters were hungrier for a winner on style points, or whether they were looking for underlying truth and principle.

Sen. Biden opened the debate by repeating presidential candidate Barack Obama's assertion that taxpayers must be "treated as investors" in the bank bailout currently bouncing around Washington, following fast on the heels of his palpably false notion that the current banking crisis was caused by "an excess of deregulation, letting Wall Street run wild." Later, he directly accused Sen. McCain of allowing "overwhelming deregulation."

In fact, it was the Democratic attempt to impose social policy through banking regulation -- hyperactive regulators demanding make more risky loans in low-income neighborhoods -- that led directly to the current crisis. American banking has not been de-regulated.

Gov. Palin responded, quite properly, that the GOP nominee, John McCain, "tried so hard" to push for reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac years ago, but that his fellow senators refused to acknowledge the danger. Gov. Palin stressed her own record of tax-cutting in Alaska, warning that the Democratic ticket will raise taxes, and identifying the Democratic class-warfare agenda as one of income "redistribution."

Sen. Biden responded that Sen. Obama "has never voted to raise taxes" -- a patently false retort.

Sen. Biden also insisted that when it comes to raising taxes on those who work hard and earn more, "We don't call that redistribution, we call it fairness."

The old Democrat did a good job of promoting the familiar Democratic line. But the young Alaska governor -- though she was well briefed and avoided major gaffes -- was not quick enough on her feet to drive a stake through any of her opponent's time-worn cliches.

For instance, Sen. Biden, in response to moderator Gwen Ifill's last question, said one thing he learned after his first five years in the Senate was not to merely examine judicial nominees on their qualifications and judicial temperament, but rather to block the appointment of any candidates whose ideology displeases him.

Sen. Palin could have pointed out the Constitution calls for the president -- not Sen. Biden -- to appoint our federal judges, that the voters choose a president in part because they want him to have that authority. She failed to do so.

By the time the debate rolled around to foreign policy -- surprisingly, since this was expected to be her weak suit -- Gov. Palin seemed to have found her footing, insisting that Sen. Obama's plan for Iraq is a "white flag of surrender," that his plan to sit down with the dictators of Iraq and North Korea without preconditions "goes beyond naivete," scoring unanswered points when she quoted Sen. Biden's own words back to him from last fall's Democratic nomination battle, when he said Sen Obama's vote against funds for the troops "was political and would cost lives," when Sen. Biden said Sen. Obama was "not qualified to be commander-in-chief."

Sen. Biden replied, "That's simply not true. Obama didn't say he would sit down with (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad."

In fact, in Democratic primary debates last year, he did.

Gov. Palin was strongest when she spoke from the heart, with a smile on her face, about the problems of everyday Americans, offering a ticket "that will win the war," as opposed to the "ticket that wants to raise taxes."

It's doubtful voters learned a lot of new information from Thursday's debate. But if Americans are looking for a fresh new face, someone who can connect with "Main Street," Gov. Palin's performance -- perhaps she "lost on points" -- might help push the Republican ticket toward victory.