I don’t like declaring “winners” of debates because to do so is to minimize the event. It’s not like points are scored, tallied, a halftime show, then a rush to the final whistle with a last-second shot. In fact, we won’t know who “won” for about a week when the post-debate polls show whether there’s a shift among voters back toward McCain, which he desperately needs right now.
But …
Sarah Palin re-established herself tonight. She reassured the base. She proved for now the Katie Couric interview was more fluke than pattern. Where was this person during the Charlie Gibson and Couric interviews? Where has this candidate been all along? Now, had the debate format been differentl; had Joe Biden been able to question her standpoints directly or the moderator pursue some of Palin’s answers, this would be a different story. Instead, the format favored her, and she performed well in the format, going above and beyond those lowered expectations put out by her campaign.
To be fair to Biden, he did what he had to do. He had to defend Obama and attack McCain. Mission accomplished. He had to avoid gaffes. Mission accomplished. He even had a brief moment of poignancy when he nearly shed tears about his late wife and had to pause before continuing his answer.
Palin, however, is the story. She beat back her critics for now. She and McCain has one month to make their comeback. Tonight, due to Palin, wasn’t a bad start. Watch the polls, particularly in the battleground states of Virginia, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, to see whether her performance tonight was a gamechanger.
