It was a pretty even debate in my opinion and I am not a Palin supporter (she comes across as totally naive). She did however speak better during the VP debate than any interview or at the RNC. Neither impresses me but it's time to stop picking on Gov. Palin and not questioning the democratic males. If it were Mr. Palin instead of Mrs. we wouldn't be asking these questions and we wouldn't be pointing out how the Governor gave vague or no answer without pointing out that the Senator did too.

You could also point out that he used lies a lot!!

LOL You are absolutely correct and you will see when you look at replies to your thread that I acknowledged you for an excelent response.

lil_britt29:

Can a person who is "totally naive" possibly be qualified to be VP?

Actually they both made claims that weren't true.

People keep saying that Palin is bieng picked on and that she is treated unfairly but you can't forget that all three of the others have been under the microscope for years and years, while Palin is basically unknown outside of Alaska. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to question her and to be citical of her it may seem that they are looking more at what she's doing but overall she has had wy less scrutiny than any of the others.

Just because she is woman does not mean she gets special treatment. When McCain drops dead in office and she attacks some country would "oops and a giggle" be ignored because she is a woman. She is running for office and like everyone else should be fair game. I'm tired of everyone walking over broken glass just cuz she's a female!

I would agree-IF anyone was actually walking on glass around her. She has been a target in a way that Biden has not. No one has critized Biden much at all-his nomination was very lukewarm and low-key. Some very right wing writers wuch as Ann Coulter has taken a shot at him, but she is not main stream media.

I do not think this is because Palin is a woman. I think this is because she is a Republican, conservative woman. The liberals did not want a woman in the White House, they wanted a liberal woman in the White House. Boy it must get your panties in a twist to see a pro-life, pro-gun, proud to be a mother woman in the running.

JenK:

You say, essentially, that opposing candidates should receive equal criticism, but what if one deserves it more than another?

Biden has been a prominent senator for decades and no one would suggest that he's not qualified to be VP -- that's why no one's suggesting it.

On the other hand, Palin has scant experience with the matters about which she would be expected to lead; and, more importantly, she has demonstrated outright ignorance and incuriosity. Never heard of the Bush Doctrine? No one is too busy to learn very basic facts about US foreign policy if they have an interest. Sure, if she's a quick study she can learn enough to fake her way through a "debate" that doesn't require her to answer follow-up questions. But a VP should be expected to have -- at a minimum -- thought deeply about these sorts of things in the context of a substantial body of knowledge.

She's not qualfied; she deserves the scrutiny for that. She and McCain claim she's qualified; they deserve criticism for that.