The VP Debate.

The feared melt-down that many were expecting to see last night from Sarah Palin did not happen. Far from it. I thought Palin did a better job than anyone could have expected; she was civil, smiled through each point, and answered each question without hesitation. The 'folksy-charm' that so many right-wingers love was in full swing (Mayberry should be proud). She appealed to soccer moms and 'joe-six pack', making it clear that she was not of Washington.

I was also impressed with Biden. I was afraid he might eat the microphone in anger or ramble for 90 minuets. Biden flexed his 35 years of experience last night with a menagerie of facts and policy details. His knowledge of foreign affairs and voting records went unmatched. It seemed that Biden was focused on linking McCain to 8 years of a disastrous Bush administration. He continued the campaign strategy by focusing on McCain and not Palin, thus taking the focus away from the Palin sideshow.

Overall, as many commentators and political analysts have said, this debate was not a deal breaker. I don't think anyone who was leaning toward Obama will jump to McCain and vise versa. Palin used all the right language for conservatives, (unabashed love for Israel, traditional definition of marriage, and America is a city on a hill.) Biden used strong language to emphasise Obama's desire to end the War in Iraq and the need for environmentally friendly fuel alternatives.

Although I wasn't swayed to vote for McCain/Palin I thought she showed a much better side of their campaign. For me the folksy, hockey mom, 'Gosh darn it', personality doesn't do it for me. Floating through my head last night was a picture of Palin slapping the hand of Ahmadinejad and saying "Now you watch your mouth young man!, We don't speak that way down in Wasilla, don't cha' know!"

Questions?

Both Barrack Obama and John McCain have been guilty of playing by the old game of slash and burn politics. Both are now claiming the 'change' mantra and many including myself are tired of hearing the word. Each candidates political ads are full of half-truths and information that has nothing to do with the issues. In an effort to bring the conversation back to the issues the editors of The Nation are posing several questions that they would like each candidate to answer. Below I have listed 4 that I thought were important. What questions do you want answered by the candidates? What answers are you looking for?

• Do you agree with Defense Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chair of the Joint Chiefs, who insist that the Pentagon budget must grow?
  

• Why would you promote NATO expansion as a security building policy considering that had Georgia been a member of NATO when it launched its attack on Southern Ossetia, under the Treaty's Article Five guarantee the US would now be at war with Russia?
  

• The US has the highest childhood poverty rate of any industrialized nation with 20 percent of children under age 6 living in poor families, costing about $500 billion dollars per year to the US economy, or 4 percent of GDP. What is your plan to reduce childhood poverty during your administration?

• The United States is hemorrhaging debt from its trade deficits - $700 billion a year - what is your plan to stop the bleeding?