Mission Accomplished

Joe Biden was amazing! He came across exactly as he need to: thoughtful, experienced, humble, and prepared.

Palin's folksiness made me very uncomfortable at times. She showed she has some knowledge on the topics, but it was not proven to be more than skin deep.

All in all, I feel even more confident in Joe Biden's abilities to help lead this country and less so with Palin.

Mistress of Debate

I’ve been keeping up on the news and reading all the expectations for Sarah and Joe in tonight’s debate. Everyone claims that Sarah is a terrific debater. This takes me back to a couple days after her acceptance speech at the RNC, when I asked my sister what she thought of Sarah Palin. Living in Seattle, she had never heard of Sarah before. Basically, she summed it up by saying, “She is scary,” and “I can just imagine her on the high school debate team.” Interesting.

Last night I got to thinking about the debates and I came to the conclusion that they are kind of silly. In last week’s Presidential debate, I didn’t get a whole lot of detailed info from either candidate. What stuck with me most is that McCain seemed angry and contemptuous. Obama appeared cool and calm, with a few moments of glory (like when attacking McCain’s record on the Iraq war). Is this what debates are really about? How they come across to the viewers? From what I’ve been reading in the news, the answer is “yes.” In that case, I want a president who remains cool, calm and collected when things get heated. He can look his opponent in the eye and talk reasonably.

I’m anxious to see the performances tonight….and that’s what they really are: performances. Perhaps Sarah will perform well tonight. Perhaps we’ll see a boost in the polls for McCain. But what happens when the debate is over, and she returns to impromptu Q & A with interviewers and voters? She may be safe behind that podium with 90 seconds to make quips at Biden, but I don’t know if that can erase from my mind the past couple weeks. As Sarah goes on the attack and her fellow GOPs claim she won the debate, I will be asking myself, “but is this the quality of leadership we’re really looking for?” I want someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

I am hopeful that Biden will speak eloquently, with formulated sentences that are direct and to the point. He has a warmth to him that I think can reach the American people through the TV. His story is compelling and his experience is profound. Right now Sarah is cramming for this debate. A VP candidate shouldn’t have to cram!!! Godspeed, Joe Biden.