Biden's Response to First Presidential Debate

Palin's staff did not agree to an interview regarding her response to the debate so her reactions are not currently available for comparison.

Analysis of First Presidential Debates

On Saturday, Time Magazine had the following to say about John McCain and Barack Obama's performances in the first presidential debate of the 2008 election.

Letter grading aside, I agree with Mark Halperin's analysis (and brief summary) of each candidate's substance, style, and overall performance.

I don't think either candidate particularly outshone the other but the intended topic of the debate, foreign policy, is widely heralded as McCain's strength, and an area in which his experience far exceeds that of Obama's. I don't think that McCain effectively demonstrated superior command of foreign policy issues while Obama's preparation and grasp of the issues was clear. I don't think the debate altered much in public opinion regarding McCain but it gave Obama the opportunity to prove to the public that he does understand foreign policy issues, and that he is not as inexperienced or incapable of leading as Republicans have been attempting to depict him.

McCain's VP Pick was Irresponsible

CNN's foreign affairs analyst, Fareed Zakaria, writes of McCain's decision to pick Palin as his running mate, "...I say this with sadness because I greatly admire John McCain, a man of intelligence, honor and enormous personal and political courage. However, for him to choose Sara Palin to be his running mate is fundamentally irresponsible. He did not put the country first with this decision. Whether it is appropriate or not, considering Sen. McCain's age most people expected to have a vice presidential candidate who would be ready to step in at a moment's notice. The actuarial odds of that happening are significant, something like a one-in-five chance."

Read the rest of his interview with CNN regarding his commentary in Newsweek here.

Out of Her League

In this article from The Caucus, Kate Phillips summarizes what I think many have been thinking about Palin this past week.

She writes, 'So, does Governor Palin have it? Mr. Brooks wrote: “Sarah Palin has many virtues. If you wanted someone to destroy a corrupt establishment, she’d be your woman. But the constructive act of governance is another matter. She has not been engaged in national issues, does not have a repertoire of historic patterns and, like President Bush, she seems to compensate for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness.”'

The Real Question About Palin

Many of the opinions I've heard about Palin seem to focus on how she's very likable, very down to earth, easy to identify with, and takes a stand on her beliefs. These are all wonderful things but they're not sufficient in determining the real question at stake: Is she an appropriate candidate for Vice President of the United States?

Lawrence Lessig does a great job of respectfully and thoughtfully comparing Palin's experience to that of former vice presidents of the US, and detailing why we should care about her experience in this video.