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

[glamorous1908]

I don't think Palin debated badly last night, she improved her image some, but I still don't think she's ready for Prime Time by any means. I don't think that she gave the McCain camp the boost that they were looking for either.

Many of her answers had absolutely no substance at all, most of it was just "fluff" just like a n interview question for a job candidate. You ask a question, they ramble about a few things, things they think you want to hear hoping to persuade you, but in all never give you the answer to the question you asked initially. Im sure alot of what she was talked about was what the McCain camp has prepped her for.

Biden, on the other hand delivered. He came off as knowledged and well-prepared.

[BlackJAC]

Agreed. I only caught two minutes of it--it was all I could stand--and Palin was simply regurgitating every single gop talking point like it was a keno drawing. Being verbose and being intelligent aren't the same thing, and she was the former.

[AlteSoldier]

Biden won the Debate.

[kappa08]

Three reasons why people though Palin won:

1.) If they make lesss than 250k they are completly self loathing
2.)Have no idea what an ANSWER is
3.)Have a libriarian fetish

[nevadagirl]

oooh, I'm a librarian.....hook me up! Drill, baby, drill!

[Dr Scott]

Palin should count herself lucky. Biden never, not once, attacked Palin. I personally would not have been so generous. Palin handed Biden numerous opportunities to attack her personally and the Palin/McCain proposals in general. I found it absolutely crazy for Palin to talk about how much she and McCain support Education. Alaska and Arizona consistantly rate at the bottom of the scale in Education. Palin frequently co-opted Obama/Biden proposals. I do credit Biden for hilighting the 180 degree difference between HER policies toward oil companies and McCain's. I would have pounded that one a little more. And Biden did a poor job of explaining that 2005 energy bill that Obama voted for. According to FactCheck.org, the bill gave the oil companies a net $300 M increase in taxes. Case dismissed. He tried to expalin the oft-touted vote to increase taxes on people making as little as $42 K, but again, mucked it up a little (see FactCheck.org). Palin also mentioned how she got rid of property taxes in Wasilla. That's great, especially for the wealthy, like the Palins, who have a lot of property, but she doesn't mention that she raised sales taxes to pay for a $14 M rec center that is still in the red. And Ifill never even raised the questions of earmarks. Palin claims to be against 'em, but she sure knows how to get 'em. This debate was a joke. It doesn't matter.

[sufi66]

The only issue is how the American people can escape the feeling of nausea from watching and hearing a VP candidate who sounds like a Jr. high school prom queen. You betcha!

[beaupritchard]

And who says dog gonit (sp?)

[SenatorGleek]

Biden looked good - but I can't call that a win. Was pretty close to the average american.

[bpowell1]

I don't think so because if you look at the polls on who people thought won he blew her away on everyone of them.

[Igetitnow]

And he didn't even wink!!

[kate eryn]

I was happy to see Biden a little more reserved, but would have encouraged him to unleash it just a little bit when she was going on the offensive with him. There were times when Sarah's smiling stabs made me want to shake Biden.

Example: There you go again, Joe, talkin' about the past doggone it...I wish he would have used his 90 seconds, turned to her and said, "Right now people are suffering. How are you going to alleviate the middle class's immediate economic suffering? And don't choo go talkin' about the FUTURE again, Sarah, where anyone can promise anything, dang it, let's just talk about your plans right now."

[taniacaa]

WORDS I liked most from Joe Biden were:

FAIR
JOBS
MIDDLE CLASS
HEALTHCARE

He came across as having a steady hand.

Republican for Obama/Biden 2008
Central Florida I-4 corrider

[sadiehawkins]

welcome Taniacaa

[NYBumpyJohnson]

Now Palin is just going to be cute and expect Americans to vote her in the white house. She winked at the audience several times. Are we serious?! Is our new foreign policy going to be Palin flashing the foreign leaders? We know that President Zadari thinks she's cute. I mean seriously conservative ideologues, this is not a Disney movie: 'hockey mom from Alaska becomes vice President despite." This is your life! And what's worse is the defference journalists are giving her. It is not biased to report that Palin appears not to have the knowledge required from the potential leader of the free world. McCain has the media shaking in their boots! I don't know what's scarrier a grumpy old man with a happy trigger finger that can take us into WWIII or a puppet who may be controlled by a grumpy old ventriloquist with a happy trigger finger with no interest in domestic policy.

[ShellsBells]

It's too bad that we live in a country where the idiots are everywhere. Yeah, sure, Miss Beauty Pagent Hockey mom had style, if you think that kind of thing is important in selecting a president/VP. But that's all she has. It's a gimmick, it's a commercial, it's trying to sell you something that you don't need or want. Wake up people! Joe's preformance was clearly superior because he was versed on the issues and show an UNDERSTANDING of them. He didn't memorize talking points like Palin did. There are some men that I work with (obviously not intelligent ones) that said they would vote the republican ticket because she's "hot". GOD! This is so ridiculous!!! I just can't fathom this idiocracy.

I'm pretty sure that the Obama/Biden ticket is going to win, but the superficial idiots out there scare the crap out of me. It happened in 2000 and 2004. It wouldn't surprise me that it would happen again.

My only complaint about Joe's performance is that he didn't hit HER hard enough. He needed to throw a few punches her way. I don't care if she's a "girl". She and all her cheat cards needed to be blown off that podium.

[Ulysse]

Darn right he did! ; )

Lol

[really5]

Palin dodged question after question last night and brought no substance or facts to the debate. Have we lowered the bar so low so that picking a winner is determined on memorized talking points. She will go over big addressing foreign leaders with a shout out. Give me a break! If McCain wins and America will be in deeper trouble if that occurs, he brings with him his affirmative action VP. Palin is not qualified for the VP slot.

[TheBlackCat]

Here's a link to a really great commercial put out by a wildlife protection group re: Sarah Palin. SInce the commercial began airing, the group has raised so much money in response that they are now broadcasting the commercial in the battleground states:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQobIUE1zTU

[Blk independant]

Biden was held back, he could have whipped her but he chose not too...he had to because he would have became a bully. She was reading line for line her prepared notes. She didnt stink up the place because she didnt answer the questions. She stuck to the talking points. The thing that really hurt the debate was IFIL, she couldnt be herself for fear of looking like she has an vested interest. Now I really think they should have change moderaters so some tougher questions would have been asked of her

[sadiehawkins]

I agree, Ifill should have pulled out, and nominated Maureen Dowd or Rachel Maddow as moderators.