The Redhunter

She won because she went toe-to-toe with one of the most knowledgeable senators in Washington and not only held her own but won a number of the exchanges.

I qualify this for two reasons.

One, what we saw was two completely different styles. Senator Biden came across as the technocrat in command of the facts and who presented them in a solid manner. He spoke in a perfect east coast/urban/senatorial style. He did not commit any gaffs. Biden also spent much more time attacking McCain than Palen did Obama, which played well to his base but I think may have turned people off.

Governor Palin came across as the person next door who is very informed about matters foreign and domestic. She spoke like a Midwesterner who has stayed in the Midwest her entire life, not counting a few short visits or trips elsewhere. She spoke with confidence in herself and her positions. She didn't spend much time going after Obama, which the hard-core conservative in me saw as missed opportunities. On the other hand, when she go on the attack is was with a smile and almost more in the manner of a good-natured jab, which may have played well with undecideds or those just turned off by Washington partisanship.

So to some extent who won depends on which style you like.

Second, the two did not go into this debate as equals. It was expected that Senator Biden would do well. After 35 years in the Senate, after all, he had better have command of the facts. All he had to do was perform as advertised and avoid major gaffs, which he did.

Sarah Palin was another matter. She has famously not been in politics for very long, and so many people on both sides of the political isle have been wondering if she has what it takes. No one really knew what to expect from her. While she gave a good speech at the convention, her performance in interviews since then has been up and down.

In light of this second qualification, we cannot judge them equally. If Mitt Romney had been the VP nominee we'd have an entirely different scorecard. Palin not only held her own and debated as an equal but did better in many of the exchanges. In light of this, and the fact that I liked her style or at least it did not turn me off, I judge her to have been the winner.

As I mentioned at the start, before I wrote this the only news or commentary I saw was the immediate follow up on Fox News, consisting of the all-star panel and Frank Luntz' panel of undecided voters. The all-stars, moderated by Brit Hume said pretty much what I expected them to say.

The real surprise was panel of undecideds. By an overwhelming margin they were impressed with Palin, and so were now disposed to vote for McCain-Palin. Based on this Luntz predicted that the polls would move their way in the next 48 hours.

I hope he's right.