Do not count me among those who expected Palin to deliver a performance like those she gave while being mercilessly interrogated by Katie Couric. No, I fully expected her to be prepped and ready to speak in complete sentences, with all the perkiness of a cheerleader. From that perspective, she totally nailed it. I'm pleased Tonya was able to land her triple axel toe loop salchow - while holding a baseball bat! Wow! Did you see that?
But if you were tuning in for substance, forget it. Biden provided it: he clearly knows what's going on in the big world outside of Wasilla. Palin did not. Her arrogant "I'm not going to answer the question" approach - you don't say that out loud! - was painfully obvious and repetitive. As was the word "also." Here's how I heard the debate:
Ifill: Talk about your stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biden: I agree with Barack Obama that we need to have a timetable to end the war in Iraq, and we need to commit more troops to Afghanistan - where Al Qaeda is still firmly entrenched and where Osama bin Laden is hiding.
Palin: I'm not going to answer also that question. I'd like instead to tell the American people about our energy policy. Drill, baby, drill!
Ifill: What do you think of Washington's response this week to the current financial crisis?
Biden: This is not a time for partisan politics. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans - to come up with a solution that is in the best interests of the American people.
Palin: Barack Obama is going to raise your taxes, Joe six-pack! I'm talkin' to you!! [wink] [nose scrunch] And as vice-president, I will expand my powers also even more than Dick Cheney did.
Ad nauseum.
Ifill, for her part, did nothing to give the conservatives any reason to gripe. I was annoyed, though, that Palin was frequently allowed to ramble on about a topic completely unrelated to the original question. She had her prepped answers and, by golly, she was gonna give 'em! The one she clearly hadn't prepped for was the one about the role of the VP. She agrees with Dick Cheney? Oh, dear. Well, I imagine that if she and Dicky ever go hunting, she won't be the one to end up with buckshot in her back.
But if you were tuning in for substance, forget it. Biden provided it: he clearly knows what's going on in the big world outside of Wasilla. Palin did not. Her arrogant "I'm not going to answer the question" approach - you don't say that out loud! - was painfully obvious and repetitive. As was the word "also." Here's how I heard the debate:
Ifill: Talk about your stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biden: I agree with Barack Obama that we need to have a timetable to end the war in Iraq, and we need to commit more troops to Afghanistan - where Al Qaeda is still firmly entrenched and where Osama bin Laden is hiding.
Palin: I'm not going to answer also that question. I'd like instead to tell the American people about our energy policy. Drill, baby, drill!
Ifill: What do you think of Washington's response this week to the current financial crisis?
Biden: This is not a time for partisan politics. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans - to come up with a solution that is in the best interests of the American people.
Palin: Barack Obama is going to raise your taxes, Joe six-pack! I'm talkin' to you!! [wink] [nose scrunch] And as vice-president, I will expand my powers also even more than Dick Cheney did.
Ad nauseum.
Ifill, for her part, did nothing to give the conservatives any reason to gripe. I was annoyed, though, that Palin was frequently allowed to ramble on about a topic completely unrelated to the original question. She had her prepped answers and, by golly, she was gonna give 'em! The one she clearly hadn't prepped for was the one about the role of the VP. She agrees with Dick Cheney? Oh, dear. Well, I imagine that if she and Dicky ever go hunting, she won't be the one to end up with buckshot in her back.
No comments:
Post a Comment