Photo: AP

Paul:

Palin won. Oh wait, just because you survived until the end doesn’t mean you won? OK, then Biden won. Look, this clearly wasn’t the disaster we we’re all hoping and praying for on either side. What was supposed to be a gaffe-filled explosively controversial evening was instead a relatively interesting (if not tame) debate on policy issues. Palin didn’t start talking about dinosaurs or Putin and Biden didn’t refer to her as “babe” so all in all both escaped relatively unscathed. Palin lost the debate the old-fashioned way, as Biden’s policies came across as concrete (“Barack Obama and I have a 16-month withdrawal plan supported by Maliki to get out of Iraq”) and her critiques seemed baseless and Bush-like (“That plan is like waving a white flag of surrender to our enemies”). Overall this won’t significantly change the dynamic of the race and today we’ll be talking about the House passing the bailout bill and how much it sucked that “The Office” wasn’t on last night.

Best moment: Biden chokes up when recounting his family tragedy, saying that just because he’s a man doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand tough family issues. Also, when Sarah Palin winked at me.

Worst moment: Palin says “Say it ain’t so, Joe” and “doggone” in the same sentence.

Sam:

I was a little disappointed by last night's debates. There wasn't enough downright absurdity, but that left time for me to actually listen to the issues. And, yes, like everyone else I must admit that Palin didn't fail quite as badly as we all expected. Still, she seemed fixated on a just handful of topics (ostensibly the ones she received the most training on), so no matter the question, she tried to turn it back to those subjects. If it wasn't about putting partisanship aside, McCain's maverickness, the greed and corruption on Wall Street or energy, Palin was going to make it about those things. Biden, though too soft on Palin in the beginning, got in a groove. Much like in the presidential debates, his economic plan appeals more to the middle class (as in the majority of American voters) and he had a solid plan for Iraq. Overall, Biden showed off competency and a stunning smile. That's a win in my book.

Best moment: Biden very pointedly explains why John McCain is in fact not a maverick.

Worst moment: Palin actually says "Joe Six-Pack" and "hockey moms" in the same sentence.

Tracy:

So much was scintillating about the VP debate last night, from Joe Biden's gorgeous set of teeth to Sarah Palin's use of "doggone it" to both number twos telling each other how very much they enjoyed meeting, though it appeared that both needed to take number twos what with the constipated smiles strung across their powdered faces. Palin's manifest preparations left us all a bit shocked, as she skillfully parlayed the debate topic to her old standby, energy, when unable to address statements made by Biden. 

Indeed Palin relied heavily on a hit parade of catchphrases and keywords, most notably "maverick," though also including the afore-mentioned "doggone it," "darn right," and the notorious "Joe Six Pack." The republican VP hopeful tripped up on her statement that, "Israel is our strongest and best ally in the Middle East. We have got to assure them that we will never allow a second Holocaust, despite, again, warning from Iran," which implied an allegation that the Iranian state wishes to begin a Holocaust (hardly a contention to be made lightly)and that her political adversaries would not attempt to prevent a second Holocaust (hardly a contention to be made lightly.) Overall the impression left was one of carelessness or perhaps lack of awareness as to the import of particular foreign affairs. Yet possibly her worst blunder followed Gwen Ifill asking if it is true that her Achilles Heel is her lack of experience, when Governor Palin said because she is a mother with a son in war that she can better connect to the heartland of America. This led to the climax of the debate, when Joe Biden got choked up discussing family, in particular, the death of his wife and daughter and raising his two severely injured sons as a single parent. Truly at that point Palin was in between a rock and a hard place (then again, she got herself wedged in there), so she reverted to Old Faithful, by which I mean to say, referring to John McCain as a maverick.

Biden made mistakes too, often becoming too mired in recitation of figures, which led to lapses in approval, according to the CNN approval monitor. Yet this presentation of facts also lent great strength to Biden, particularly when his explanation of vice presidential duties trumped that of Palin considerably in eloquence and clarity, assuming a professorial tone which seemed to be meant for the young governor's education. So who won? Biden, doggone it!

Best moment: Palin practically communicating as a caricature of herself by saying, "One thing that Americans do at this time, also, though, is let's commit ourselves just every day American people, Joe Six Pack, hockey moms across the nation."

Worst moment: Gwen Ifill. In general.
 

Hector Nazario:

You have to hand it to Sarah Palin – she held her own last night.

However, congratulatory back pats aside, the purpose of a debate, especially one of this pedigree, isn’t to prove that one is capable of engaging in prolonged periods of verbal discourse, it’s to outthink and out-orate your opponent while maintaining a firm grasp on the issues at hand.

Somewhere along the way, we, the media, lost sight of that, and the VP debate became a ‘will Palin crash and burn’ affair, rather than a ‘who is a better candidate for vice president’ one.

Still, if one only considers the latter question, the answer becomes abundantly clear to everyone not named Ed Rollins. Joe Biden was the victor, and he trounced Palin on every single issue, leaving her, on more than one occasion, speechless with his steadfast, yet calm and collected resolve.

He challenged her. He questioned her stance on all the pertinent issues. And -- he dispelled the often-toted myth that John McCain was a maverick in the Republican Party. The closest Palin came to tasting victory last night were the several moments in which she agreed with Biden.

However, Palin did prove one thing: She is, as she always claims, a “Washington outsider.”

Too bad that is the last thing America needs.
 

Best moment: Palin asking Biden if she can call him "Joe" and Biden reluctantly agreeing.

Worst moment: Gwen Ifil constant interruptions. Ed Rollins.