Ex-Bush Officials: Biden Won The Debate

The consensus from the debate seems to be that while Sarah Palin exceeded the exceedingly low expectations set for her, Joe Biden won the night. The word comes from former members of the Bush administration and even John McCain's former press secretary.

Torie Clarke, who worked with McCain back in Arizona and with the Bush Administration's Department of Defense, had the following remarks on ABC:

"I'm so surprised at what we are talking about before and after the debate. Before the debate the speculation was all on Sarah Palin, how well can she do, can she answer the tough questions? Nobody was paying attention to Joe Biden. I think Joe Biden had his best night tonight. He came with one mission, and that was to go after John McCain, and he did it, backed up by facts. I think he did a better job tonight of tying McCain to the Bush administration than Obama did last week.

Matthew Dowd, who worked for George Bush's communications team while in the White House, followed Clarke and he too agreed that the Delaware Democrat took the evening.

"I think, you know, I agree with her on this. I think Sarah Palin did reasonably well. The death spiral she has been on for the last week, she survived. She's lived another day. She did well. But I think, when the polls come out in the next two, three days, Joe Biden won this debate."

Comments

[Quotidien]

Congratulations to Sarah Palin for studying her flashcards and drinking her redbull in preparation for this debate.

On absolute terms, Biden won the debate. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he could step in as President and be on top of all national issues. Palin is another story. She admitted that she has only 5 weeks on the national scene and as such doesn't have a take on many important issues.

Good for her as Governor of Alaska. It's a state with a population less than that of Charlotte North Carolina. The economy in Alaska is very simple as are the issues that they face. She claims energy experience as her forte, but she wouldn't even be considered for Secretary of Energy by a Republican President.

[mrJJ]

ROFLMAO... Palin succeeded in GROWING the base for a Dem win in November!!!

Great job Sen Biden

INDEPENDENT Voters gave their opinions..
http://mediacurves.com/

Then The Youth Vote Chimes in...
Palin proves at VP debate she should be in the minor leagues

http://www.youthvoteblog.com/2008/10/03/vp_deabate_uneventful_but_telling/

[jpmdevildog]

Some drawings were found left behind on Palin’s debate notes last night showing both her belief in what should be taught in schools but also her view on the natural evolution of woman. The images show Palin evolving from Christian obedience, gunslinging hunter, patriotic beauty queen, and expectant wife to Governor Mother.

These drawings give further backing to the rumored leak of confidential papers expanding on Palin’s faith-friendly approach to school science, “Palintology”.

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/palintology-revealed/

[tooteaching]

I think Biden was fantastic!

However, on McCain's health care plan, no one brings up pre-exsisting conditions.

Under McCain's plan many more people will be without health insurance. However, because of pre-exsisting conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) these Americans will either not be able to be insurance period or their health care will be too expensive for the $5000.00 tax credit.

While Obama's plan isn't perfect, it is significantly better on this issue alone.

Obama needs to bring this forward at the next two debates.

[JulieSA]

In the quote you provide, Torie Clark said that Biden did better than Obama, not better than Palin.

[JulieSA]

So your headline is misleading. Also, Dowd did work for Bush, but he's a former Democrat, who's now an Obama supporter, so I guess he's gone back to being a Democrat.

So this article is about an Obama supporter who thinks Biden won, and a McCain supporter who says Biden did better than Obama in the recent debates.

[Grunty1]

Palin was a machine gun firing off Republican talking points at a speed fast enough to lose me and I watch Japanese television with regular frequency!

Then, after about 30 minutes, she used up all her ammo.

[seattlesteph]

I agree. It seemed like after 30 minutes, she ran out of material and kept recycling the same talking points. But, i do give her credit that she at least survived.

[floridagatorfan1]

also i almost barfed each time she would say something about being a "mom....or going to the "soccor match on saturday...---all that mom stuff drove me nuts----it's empty meaningless rhetoric-

and im a mom!!!

the republicans talk like democrats don't care about their families or that we don;t share the sam "values"----IT DRIVES ME BAT-S--IT!!

[glamorous1908]

She's not the soccer mom, she's a Governor.. so that makes Todd the soccer mom :)

[floridagatorfan1]

scw 54--lmao about the teachers comment!!:)

[Mike169]

What is it with Republicans that they can't pronounce the word "nuclear".

[Halminbar]

WARNING!! Do NOT log onto ANY site that says PALIN THINKS SHE LOST! It contains a virus of some sort. The same thing was posted at fivethirtyeight.com.

[Quotidien]

WARNING!! Do NOT pull ANY lever that says McCain/Palin in the voting booth. It contains the residue of what has damaged the country for the past 8 years.

[HopefulAgainInTX]

That's a good one! Thanks for the laugh!

[scw54]

Biden won the debate hands down. It was not even close.

Biden answered the questions with FACTS. He connected in a GENUINE way with the audience. He spoke from his storehouse of IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE. He never let McCain off the hook. His single dad commentary spoke volumes, and it was a very SINCERE moment. He was self-possessed, confident and very real. He has a terrific smile as well.

Palin? Canned talking points and gee, golly, aw shucks folksiness. Her saying that teachers will get their reward in heaven--give me a break! My brother is a teacher and he would like to be rewarded now, while he is still alive.

OBAMA/BIDEN--Best for our country!!

[Mike169]

You betcha!

[nevadagirl]

God bless ya...

[glamorous1908]

Good one!

[scared-as-hell]

palin did exceed the expectation that she would come up with that deer-in-the-headlights stare that we have all grown to love. (wink-wink.) and last night, i thought she did pretty well.....but today, if you look at the sounds bites, and isolate their responses...her answers (or diatribes, since she didn't really "answer" any of the actual questions) were fluff. no substance, no indication of depth as opposed to having memorized some facts. her demeanor was condescening to the american public to say the least. what politician actually WINKS at the tv audience during a debate?

on another note, i was really disappointed in gwen ifil's management of the debate as a whole. altho her questions were thoughtful...she did nothing to press either candidate for an answer to her question posed to them. palin, especially, wandered from specifics and spoke only in generalities...about the topics she wanted to discuss. gwen, she took control of you and your position. perhaps you were trying to not appear pushy or biased........but you should have at least tried to redirect her to an actual answer.

[Harpseal60]

Sarah didn't answer a lot of questions. It's like she was following a script that her teachers had given her and when Gwen would ask a question that was on the next page of her script and she couldn't see how to answer it, she would just change the subject.

Also Sarah needs to knock off the winking thing. That gesture to me says "just kidding" or its acting flirty, both of which are not appropriate behaviors if she were to ever become VP or worse President..

We don't need another folksy in the white house. We need someone that doesn't sound and act like an idiot. (can you say George W. Bush)

I also think that Gwen (the moderator) was not biased and was fair to both candidates, so McCain you were wrong...again.

Good job Biden!

[kskj]

Well said! I have had enough of America being the laughingstock of the world because we elect know-nothings to the highest office in our land. I expect the President and vp to be smarter than me, not the other way around.

[oandjoe08]

McDone!!!

[elcojonu]

McOver!!!!

[rickyu]

McFinished

[shedances]

It wasn't even close. Gov. Palin was clearly out of her league ... & she kept changing the topic from what the moderator was asking, because she didn't have enough knowledge (unlike Joe Biden, who offered a wealth of information & good answers) to offer! But no matter how poorly Sarah Palin did or how unattractive she seemed as a future vice-president, there were GOP strategists there to cover her mistakes & exclaim to the press & the American public how she surpassed everyone's 'expectations.' Well I'm sorry ... but the job of future leaders isn't about trying not to look dumb in front of millions of viewers. It's about knowing what the job entails & taking it seriously (not giving absurd, out-of-place winks).