She stayed on her feet!

Through out the night, I received texts and emails asking how was Governor Palin doing in the VP debate? My answer was the same to everyone, she stayed on her feet. Biden never really knocked her down. She was charming. She put her pageant skills to work and because expectations were so low, she held her own. My granddaddy always said never underestimate your opponent. And the shoes and suit were cute.

Now putting all that aside, I have learned to listen to the candidates but check the facts immediately. As soon as the debate was over, I checked several trusted fact checking websites and here is what I got in summary:

Biden and Palin debated, and both mangled some facts.

* Palin mistakenly claimed that troop levels in Iraq had returned to “pre-surge” levels. Levels are gradually coming down but current plans would have levels higher than pre-surge numbers through early next year, at least.

* Biden incorrectly said “John McCain voted the exact same way” as Obama on a controversial troop funding bill. The two were actually on opposite sides.

* Palin repeated a false claim that Obama once voted in favor of higher taxes on “families” making as little as $42,000 a year. He did not. The budget bill in question called for an increase only on singles making that amount, but a family of four would not have been affected unless they made at least $90,000 a year.

* Biden wrongly claimed that McCain “voted the exact same way” as Obama on the budget bill that contained an increase on singles making as little as $42,000 a year. McCain voted against it. Biden was referring to an amendment that didn't address taxes at that income level.

* Palin claimed McCain’s health care plan would be “budget neutral,” costing the government nothing. Independent budget experts estimate McCain's plan would cost tens of billions each year, though details are too fuzzy to allow for exact estimates.

* Biden wrongly claimed that McCain had said "he wouldn't even sit down" with the president of Spain. Actually, McCain didn't reject a meeting, but simply refused to commit himself one way or the other during an interview.

* Palin wrongly claimed that “millions of small businesses” would see tax increases under Obama’s tax proposals. At most, several hundred thousand business owners would see increases.

Always, check the facts. There is information more than what is mentioned above. Senator Biden looked very secure and was very respectable and Governor Palin looked confident and ready to show that she can think and talk at the same time.

www.factcheck.org