HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

So while everyone heaps copious amounts of praise on Gov. Sarah Palin for remembering her own name at yesterday’s debate, check out this week’s HOT or NOT on the VP debate.

HOT: Exceeding expectations. After her failed attempts at interviews the past few weeks, Gov. Sarah Palin was clearly much more prepared for the VP debate (and by “prepared,” I mean well-scripted). Her rehearsed answers and folksy one-liners seemed to resonate early on and make any sane person want to rip out their hair by the end. Palin did, however, exceed expectations (and by “exceed expectations,” I mean she didn’t royally make a fool of herself). She certainly held her own against Biden (and by “held her own,” I mean… ok you get where I’m going here…). Clearly not a game changer but she lives to fight another day.

NOT: Refusing to directly answer questions. Did Palin know that there was a moderator on stage asking her questions? It sure seemed like she thought she could meaninglessly ramble off strings of memorized phrases in between words like “maverick” and “drill” and forget the minor detail of actually answering the question. Rrrrright. The best part was when the moderator, Gwen Ifill, asked the candidates to name their “Achilles heel” and Palin started uttering her prepared speech on having experience. Wink, smile, insert folky-ism, wink. Aw shucks, ya gotta love her!

HOT: Specifics. If we’ve learned one thing from the last few elections, it’s that personality matters. The American people are suckers for a warm smile and down-to-earth charm. But as Biden stated in the debate “facts matter” and having a solid understanding of the state of the economy, foreign affairs and other prominent policy issues is a real qualification for the POTUS and his/ her side-kick. Again, Palin stuck to her vague talking points without actually giving specific examples of policy proposals and couldn’t name one thing a McCain-Palin admin would do differently than Bush. Bad news bears.

NOT: Palin on Iraq. Two Words: Massive failure. (Enter here some lame joke about how her answer having less of an exit strategy than the War in Iraq).

HOT: Insta-polls. Gotta love/hate how CNN already has the public opinion polls on the debate before the actual debate has ended. Here’s the gist: Biden Wins Debate, 51% to 36%. Woot! Republicans can claim that Palin won the debate all they want but the poll numbers tell a different story.

NOT: Excessive Winking. Nuff said.

HOT: Biden’s restraint. I truly heart Biden and his straight-forward ways but he does have a reputation for inducing cringes when he opens his mouth. He had ample opportunity to hit back at Palin for her snarky comments or blatantly ignorant statements, and yet he restrained himself in an attempt to prevent a war with the whole female race. He was very cautious about attacking John McCain and not Palin personally.

NOT: Shoutouts at VP debates. Um yea, this is not the MTV Music Awards! What’s next – “Big ups to my boo” at the State of the Union? I mean really. It may have come off as cute to some cheeseballs but the rest of us were left feeling absolutely perplexed about this move.

And here are the quotes of the week:
Palin: "How Long Have I Been At This? Like Five Weeks?"
Biden: "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history."

Stayed tuned for: The McCain-Palin campaign trying to backtrack from Palin's apparent agreement with Biden on benefits for same-sex couples. Send in the janitors to clean it up!

Check out Our Fabulous Video of the Week: