[RetiredArmyMajor]

I teach and judge debate. Palin won this clearly. I expected a career insider like Biden to mop up the floor with an outsider like Palin.

This just goes to show than Obama/Biden are not actually “elites,” but merely “elitists.”

[Proud2BAmerican]

I don't teach or judge debate, but I'm surprised to find my assessment so far adrift of someone as yourself who has direct experience in the practice.

So you're saying not only did Biden lose this debate, not only was it close, not only was it slightly in Palin's favor --- but you're saying she "won this clearly"? As in, it wasn't even close?

In assessing debaters' relative merits, how much weight is paid to dealing with specific "facts" to support a position versus vague answers consisting mostly of colorful prose and cliches?