For many viewers, the debate had a certain Indianapolis 500 quality in the sense that at any moment there could be a conflagration.
The event was held in the Field House at Washington University in St. Louis, the host of presidential debates in 1992, 2000 and 2004 and site of bellwether state that has voted for the winner in every presidential election of the last 48 years.
Facing low expectation because of her stumbling performance in recent television interviews, Palin instead went toe-to-toe with Biden at many points during the debate, not skipping a beat as she recited facts and figures to make her points.
"How long have I been at this, like five weeks?" she said in discussing the economic crisis. "So there hasn't been a whole lot I have promised, except to do what is right for the American people, put government back on the side of the American people, stop the greed and corruption on Wall Street, and the rescue plan has got to include that massive oversight that Americans are expecting and deserving. I don't think that John McCain has made any promise that he would not be able to keep, either."
Palin returned again and again to energy policy, which she clearly feels is her strongest suit, and faulted "East Coast politicians" for failing to allow more oil drilling in Alaska. She did not mention her differences with McCain on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, which she supports but her running mate opposes.
"Barack Obama and Senator Biden, you've said 'no' to everything in trying to find a domestic solution to the energy crisis that we're in," Palin said. "You even called drilling - safe, environmentally friendly drilling offshore - as raping the outer continental shelf. There - with new technology, with tiny footprints even on land, it is safe to drill, and we need to do more of that."
When Palin, who has expressed doubts in the past the global warming is caused by man, was asked what she thinks about climate change, she continued to express doubts.
"I'm not one to attribute every activity of man to the changes in the climate," she said. "There is something to be said, also, for man's activities, but also for the cyclical temperature changes on our planet. But there are real changes going on in our climate, and I don't want to argue about the causes."
She went on to say that she preferred to focus on what should be done.
