Not to defend Caribou Barbie or anything, but I noticed Biden doing this a few times as well. Just not nearly as often as Palin.

Although he also had a pen in his hand, so perhaps most of his looking down was making notes of what Palin brought up so he could effectively counter ... ?

Or, alternative theory:

She's a complete idiot.

C-span played it split-screen the whole time. At first I thought Biden was being wierd with his on/off smiles while Palin spoke - it was only later watching clips from others that showed the whole stage that he was smiling across to Palin on certain points and occasionally trying to get Ifill's attention. In split-screen it looked odd.

She reminded me of some popular teenager running for high-school class president.

I noticed this also on the few occasions CNN did show a split screen. At the time I was almost sure that she was reading cue cards and not taking notes. I'm glad other people noticed this also.

At first I thought Biden was being wierd with his on/off smiles- random

Every time I saw that smile, I was thinking he wanted to say, "that's a filthy lie, Sarah, and you know it."

Great compilation. What again strikes me about Palin is her utter inablity to respond here and now, spontaneously to the question.

This was most poignantly illustrated after Joe Biden's display of emotion and tragedy and her response which followed.

People often say she is good at 'connecting' with folks.

Well, guess that depends on how you define connection.

'Cause that response of hers (including not even looking at him) was the epitome of being utterly disconnected. There was no tie in whatsoever to the very humane expression he had just displayed.

That to me was just beyond odd. And told me she was not really there--not present.

Well, what would you do if you had to prepare Sarah Palin for a vice presidential debate? "OK, first of all, don't even bother answering the questions. In fact, don't even listen to the questions. We'll give you a script, and all you have to do is pay attention for when it's your turn to talk, and then follow the script. Yes, you can have notes with you. It might not look so good if they see you reading your notes while Biden's talking, but it's better than word salad."

No, jonno, we're apparently the idiots, cause those fellas on the TV told me that we think she did GREAT in the debate cause she didn't start speaking in tongues or such.

I swear, I'm so tired of the press treating viewers as if they didn't have a brain in their bodies.

Of course we could see her looking down to read from her note cards, of course we noticed she wasn't interested in actually answering any questions, of course we heard her on multiple occasions contradict (unintentionally we assume) her own tickets positions, or blatantly misrepresent the positions of her opponents.

But none of that mattered to us, according to the pundits - we were so enthralled by her folksy charm and that wink she kept giving me.

Perhaps next time her cue cards should have the words spelled fo-eh-net-ih-clee.

It's just part and parcel of all of the candidates (but Palin the most egregiously) blowing off the rules and format of the debates. If they are going to do this, why bother having any rules at all? Why not just let them give dueling stump speeches?

It's good that Lehrer and Ifill have been so self-effacing as moderators, as the last thing you want is Bernie Shaw-style showboating. But how about we get a moderator who won't make the debate about him/her, but who will sternly and resolutely enforce the ground rules upon which the candidates agreed? (maybe bring John Houseman back from the grave, I dunno)

A scripted, yet maddening, Palin probably saved her political skin last night. And though Repubs are breathing a sigh of relief - I think this was a best case scenario for Obama/Biden - she stays on the ticket yet her presence insures a McShameless loss on 11.04.08!

plus C: I wish they would, then she'd be able to pronounce nuclear and verbiage. Drives me crazy!

Palin was obviously trying to run out the clock on her 90 seconds in most of the questions, just filling up the time with a vapid babble of bumper-sticker buzzwords and bullshit.

Seldom did she rise to the level of actual "talking points". Bleating "MAAAAAAAAVERICK" or simpering inanely and irrelevantly about being a "hockey mom" doesn't qualify as a "talking point".

The difference between the debate and the Couric interview was the lack of follow-up questions in the debate (at the McCain campaign's insistence).

If you go back and look at the Couric interviews, Palin's initial answer to a question was pretty similar to her answers to the debate questions: a perky, fake-folksy smokescreen of buzzwords, bromides and platitudes. It was in response to Couric's insistent follow-up questions that Palin completely fell apart.

In the debate, with follow-up questions not permitted, she was able to "get away with" the same non-responsive bullshit answers that Couric refused to accept.

I saw Biden checking notes and/or writing them as well. I don't think this is a fair thing to dig at Palin on.

Wow. They just decided to have her fake her way through it. Pretty astounding when you think about it.

Perhaps next time her cue cards should have the words spelled fo-eh-net-ih-clee.

If you read the transcript of Palin's RNC speech provided by her campaign to the press, it contains the word "new-clear," spelled exactly thus in an attempt to prevent her sounding like an illiterate fool. Apparently the person who was supposed to do that for her debate index cards took a day off yesterday.

If you go back and look at the Couric interviews, Palin's initial answer to a question was pretty similar to her answers to the debate questions: a perky, fake-folksy smokescreen of buzzwords, bromides and platitudes. It was in response to Couric's insistent follow-up questions that Palin completely fell apart.

Exactly--and this is the reason McCain's people fought so hard against a back-and-forth format.

Unfortunate freeze frame on the film clip.
Joe looks like he's solving the bank crises by doing some personal prospecting.

If she's interviewed again (by anybody competent) over the next 4 weeks, we'll see more lowlight reels in her future. SecularAnimist is right. Once scratch the first layer of fake BS and go into some kind of substance, there's NOTHING there.

What's annoying is watching the archpunditocracy say, essentially, 'Americans are impressed that she exceeded their expectations'. What utter nonsense. People overwhelmingly thought Biden kicked ass last night, and expected to see vice presidents up there. She failed that test.

Relatively early in the debate, after telling a blatant and long-since discredited old lie about Obama voting to raise taxes, Palin said (addressing both Biden and Ifill):

"... I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people ..."

Palin arrogantly announced that she was not going to even be bothered answering questions, but was just going to spew her line of scripted, inane, sleazy, dishonest bullshit as though she were addressing a rally of Republican dittoheads.

I have never seen any political candidate display such open, sneering contempt for the American people -- let alone while winking and smirking and making cutesy faces in the most sickeningly phony manner imaginable.

If you watch the very beginning of the debate, I think you'll see that as soon as Palin got out to the podium she started writing and didn't stop for a while (Biden got the first question). While Biden's giving his first response, she's just looking down the whole time writing. I don't think she had note cards, I think she had a bunch of talking points in her head that she immediately started writing down when she got out there and then she referred to them throughout. It's definitely something you would do if you weren't allowed to have prepared notes -- just get out there and jot down the key points you want to make so you don't forget them once the debate gets going. But really, I seemed like she was writing forever at the beginning.

actually, i think she did speak in tongues. she hss to be the single most incoherent speaker i've ever heard on the national stage. she make gwb eloquent by comparison. to call her folksy because she occasionally throws out a dog gone it is an insult to those who genuinely are.

i expect politicians and others to duck questions or answer them with talking points. it's part of the game and they all do it for a variety of reasons. palin, however, set a new standard last night.

During the clip Palin referenced her notes for a duration of 39 seconds.Biden referenced his for about 28 seconds.

Damaging stuff.

I would like to hear from the real Sarah unscripted.
Let Sarah be Sarah as they say.

I would LOVE to hear more from "energy expert" Sarah on how she will solve our energy crisis, by tapping the "great state of Alaska's" oil and gas reserves to feed the domestic markets Americans are hungry for. Let her explain on a powerpoint presentation how her plan (assuming she has one, after all John has tapped her for advice)will reduce our dependence in percentage terms and by what date. Also, since we can't "flag the oil molecules", perhaps there's another way to avoid importing oil from rogue countries. We Americans are hungry for Sarah's expertise in this matter.

It was, at times, as if Palin were just repeating lines written on a notecard, whether the responses made sense or not.

See chart appended here.

(maybe bring John Houseman back from the grave, I dunno)

I'd settle for Howard K. Smith or Frank McGee.

What psycholinguist said.

Jesu Cojones! Listen to her! She actually wasn't any better last night than any of her "Couric moments." We all just got so lost in the flurry and the fact that she was answering SOMETHING. If you deconstruct the event and watch each piece of what HockeyPuck said (I wouldn't dignify it by calling it an answer) - it's gibberish through the looking glass.

And the courage of the pundits (except for Todd)! Amaaaazing! Didn't you love how CNN was starting to swarm for Palin when the facts of their own instant polls started hitting them. At first they couldn't understand, then like the good pandering shills they are, they one-by-one started falling in line except by Buchanan who remained intractably wedded to his original spin.

Slightly off-topic but,

why won't any American politician ever fess up and admit that the majority of foreign oil flowing into the US is from friendly countries (most notably Canada)?

Palin's riff about sending money to countries "that don't like us very much" is hogwash...why won't anybody call this lie out?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/2909496470_d751e8a3dc.jpg

She passed cuz she can memorize pat cheat sheet answers. Her winks and smiles and cutesey attitude is insulting to every American. This job is just about the most serious thing anyone can do and she is treating it like a running for captain of the cheerleading squad....SAD!!

Oh, and Gwen Ifill and the terrific job she did as a "moderator." Intimidated or just lamebrained? Again, Sarah caught a break. Only thing is that Gwen, by being so irrelevant and thus helpful to her cause last night, spared us from letting Sarah get in the liberal media Obama-lover thing that her handlers asked her to write down some key words about:

"Unfair"
"Filtered" (DON'T SAY "CENSORED" AGAIN, SARAHHH!)
"Elite"
"Liberal Media"

Oy!

I think the larger issue, as I stated above is that she feigns a sense of connecting, but in reality is so out of touch, so disconnected--not even able to be present to questions and follow up and an emotional moment from her opponent.

This is the anti-thesis of confidence and connection. It's cowardice personified.

If you keep trying to hide from the 'mainstream media' and the East Coast Media Entire (lol) and insist only on stump speeches that have been rehearsed and refuse to engage in spontaneous real life interviews, than this begs the question:

How 'real' or 'connected' with the American people are you?

She herself acknowledged she is five weeks only into this--all the more reason we need to hear from her--live and unplugged with willingness to answer questions posed her, with willingness to give specifics.

And btw, I think the 'only five weeks' defense is so lame and transparent: First she claimed she has had more responsibilities and experience than Obama and now she wants sympathy for only be a candidate for five weeks?

Which is it?

SecularAnimist wrote: Palin arrogantly announced that she was not going to even be bothered answering questions, but was just going to spew her line of scripted, inane, sleazy, dishonest bullshit as though she were addressing a rally of Republican dittoheads.

Red State Mike wrote: Great communicator.

QED.

Sarah Palin is the cheating C student who would have been a honest F student.

from friendly countries (most notably Canada) - neilt

Maybe Palin saw Stephen Harper raise his ugly head and fly over Alaska. You know she can see Canada from Alaska. And she sees you guys as a competitive threat to her friends at Veco. :)

ugh, I'm trying to forget I ever heard the words "Stephen" and "Harper" today...thanks a bunch there Danp!

another OT comment - was it just me or were her canned talking points straight out of 1984? Big Government blah blah blah, Tax and Spend liberal yadda yadda yadda. It was like I was listening to a dumb Alex P Keaton!

p.s. Me and the girlfriend spent the entire debate with a grin on our faces every time Biden spoke - that man was on FIRE last night!

Palin, in last night's "debate," reminded me of one group of high school debaters I used to run into in the 1960s. These were the debaters who had a hunge number of evidence cards, mostly obtained from other people, but no clear idea of how to present a clear, logical argument for or against something. So they would read their evidence cards, sometimes almost randomly, and smirk at their opponenets when they thought they'd gotten off a good line (I don't remember any winking at the judge, though).

SJRSM asks:
"Does Article 1 of the Constitution lay out the executive branch? That's what Biden said. True?"

I'll just ask Sarah and get back ta' ya on that.

I think the real loser in last night's debate is Tina Fey. How is she ever going to top that over the top, cliche ridden, eye-winking performance?
One comment really struck me last night. One of Palin's responses was prefaced with the comment that she was an outsider and didn't know how things worked in Washington. I immediately thought "if you don't know how things work in Washington how in the world are you going to understand how things work in the rest of the world?" Professing ignorance on how our government works doesn't really seem to be a strong selling point for someone seeking the job of, pardon a cliche, the person a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Maybe she had the answers tattooed just below her Gennifer Flowers lip liner?

Why pick out this debate? The entire McCain-Palin campaign is an expression of sneering contempt for the American people. Boil it down to its essence, and their only message is "Whatever we choose to sell you, you'll buy."

Let's be honest here; Sarah Palin, earnest as she was last night, is clearly not ready for the job. Metaphorically speaking, her wanton use of crib notes to reference her talking points leaves me to wonder aloud whether the woman can locate the open ends of a roll of paper towels without illustrated directions.

Wow, Sarah the moron recited lies, talking points, and gibberish; Biden made a misstatement about the article that defines the Executive Branch. Which one does the goon squad think is important? I wonder if the idiots promoting Senator "Torture is Okay by Me" realize how outclassed Sarah Palin is by, well, most anonymous commenters on Political Animal (the goon squad is, of course, excused from consideration).

I guess when you are so monumentally brain-dead that you claim that Mayor Moosehump is the equivalent of Constitutional Law Professor Obama I guess you have to grasp whatever straws you can.

Professing ignorance on how our government works doesn't really seem to be a strong selling point ...

For the base? It sure is. These are people who think that government is always the problem and always incompetent. Even if they have to make it a self-fulfilling proposition.

And is it just me, or is it completely moronic to try to distance yourself from Bush while acting exactly like him? I know she's pretty dim-witted when it comes to, you know, actually knowing things and all that. But isn't vacuous telegenic charm supposed to be one of her strengths? Isn't the GOP supposed to actually be good at content-free emotionally manipulative bullshit? Does she not realize how much she handcuffs herself to Bush every time she says nuke-ya-ler?

I mean, yeah, she's horrible at the whole honesty thing. But what surprised me was how bad she is at the whole dishonesty thing, too. Did anyone else notice that her Frances McDormand impression got deeper and more committed as the debate wore on?

Finally--Joe Biden said, "Say maverick one more time, motherfucker!"

If you read the transcript of Palin's RNC speech provided by her campaign to the press, it contains the word "new-clear," spelled exactly thus in an attempt to prevent her sounding like an illiterate fool.

You can't be serious.

*Checks back through last month's e-mail, finds the RNC's press releases*

Oh my God, you are. That is hilarious.

neilt wrote: "Me and the girlfriend spent the entire debate with a grin on our faces every time Biden spoke - that man was on FIRE last night!"

Exactly my reaction. It took a few questions for it to sink in, but at about the third question I exclaimed to my debate-watching companion those very words: "Man, Biden is on fire tonight!"

That was the big -- and pleasant -- surprise of the debate for me.

Palin was about as I expected -- a sleazy phony and an ignorant airhead, running out the clock on every 90 second answer with a babble of buzzword bullshit.

But as someone who had not previously seen Biden speak at any length, I was totally knocked out by his performance, both the substantive dimension and the affective dimension. He was terrific in every respect. Barack Obama would do well to study and learn from Biden's performance in this debate.

I have watched presidential and vice-presidential TV debates starting with Kennedy-Nixon in 1960.

I would say that Biden gave probably the best debate performance of any VP candidate I have ever seen, and Sarah Palin gave the worst I have ever seen. She was WAY worse than Dan Quayle.

The only question about Palin is what aspect of her performance was the most offensive: the lies? The ignorance? The contemptuous evasiveness? The mechanical regurgitation of lame, scripted buzz-phrases ("MAAAAAAAVERICK")? The blatant, sneering, phony-sincere insincerity? The hyperactive winking, smirking and other manic facial contortions?

So the Veep could well choose to exercise presiding over the Senate every day instead of farming it out to the Pres Pro Temp.

Ok, what would that mean, in specific terms? What powers do you think "presiding" confers to the VP? Committee chairmanships? Tabling bills? Roll call? What?

"Does Article 1 of the Constitution lay out the executive branch? That's what Biden said. True?"

You're a dishonest hack. You know damn well what he meant, and later expanded upon, and that was that the VP's role in relation to the legislature is defined in Article 1. His response was to this question:

"Do you believe as Vice President Cheney does, that the Executive Branch does not hold complete sway over the office of the vice presidency, that it it is also a member of the Legislative Branch?"

So, keep on nitpicking what Biden stated and just ignore the verbal diarrhea coming out of your candidate's mouth. Fortunately, most of us can tell the difference between someone that actually knows what they're talking about, but misspeaks, and someone that has no clue as to what they're talking about.

You don't need me to pile on Palin, you're doing just fine. But don't pretend Biden is spewing his own occasional brand of BS too.

And as we all know from math class, kids, any two numbers that are greater than zero are equal to each other. It's the fair and balanced way!

Oh hum, another debate conspiracy by the paranoid left. What, you didn't want to just use a retreaded "wireless comm link" theory again?

Oh hum, another debate conspiracy by the paranoid left.

Yeah, the idea that Palin was using crib notes is TOTALLY INSANE. Who has ever used crib notes for anything? That's just CRAZY TALK. You might as well be talking about space aliens.

It is if such notes weren't allowed, as some are accusing her of doing anyway.

This person is dismally unqualified, but in the Couric interview, it's pretty clear that she's not reading notes, but looking down while counting off points on her fingers, in order to avoid the eyes of the interviewer.

“When we kicked — along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, “Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don’t know — if you don’t, Hezbollah will control it.” Now what’s happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.”

WTF !! This is as bad as Gerry Ford's gaffe about Poland and Eastern Europe were not under the domination of the Soviet Union.

What, they couldn't afford to stick a receiver down her shoulder blades and a doohickey in her ear so that she could be fed her lines like Bush? This kind of economizing is surely not a good idea....

Finally--Joe Biden said, "Say maverick one more time, motherfucker!"

Bwa!

I see the idiot goon squad is still trying to distract from the disaster that is Mayor Dimwitty. How many lies does she get before we are allowed to notice them fuckwit? How many times can she ignore the questions? How many times does she get to repeat rote talking points and gibberish before it becomes apparent that the least qualified person to be VP in that room, counting the moderator and the audience, was Sarah the Dummy?

I'm wondering if these were such severe gaffes, why didn't that master of detail, the woman who reads "all" the newspapers, the seasoned executive notice?

Oh wait, she was too busy ready the cue cards and preparing her next non-sequitur to even hear what Biden said.

Come on, idiots, dazzle us. Show us how Palin stood her ground.

The goons are pathetic.

Didn't we play this game with GWB and the possible bulge on his back? I think that debates like this do nothing but sound like conspiracy theories. The fact is that McCain and Palin if judged on their policy positions, are wrong on almost every issue that matters to Americans. This should be the only thing we bother focusing on because these side issues just take our eye off the ball.