Quotes from Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska during their vice presidential debate last night at Washington University in St. Louis:
ON THE IRAQ WAR:
Sen. Joe Biden: “Barack Obama offered a clear plan. Shift responsibility to Iraqis over the next 16 months. Draw down our combat troops. Ironically, the same plan that (Nouri al-) Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, and George Bush are now negotiating. The only odd man out here 7/8 only one left out 7/8 is John McCain, number one. Number two, with regard to Barack Obama not funding the troops, John McCain voted the exact same way. John McCain voted against funding the troops because of an amendment he voted against had a timeline in it to draw down American troops.”
Gov. Sarah Palin: “Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq and that is not what our troops need to hear today, that's for sure. And it's not what our nation needs to be able to count on. You guys opposed the surge. The surge worked. Barack Obama still can't admit the surge works. We'll know when we're finished in Iraq when the Iraqi government can govern its people and when the Iraqi security forces can secure its people. And our commanders on the ground will tell us when those conditions have been met. And Maliki and (Iraqi President Jalal) Talabani also in working with us are knowing again that we are getting closer and closer to that point, that victory that's within sight.”
ON WHO IS AT FAULT FOR THE SUBPRIME LENDING MELTDOWN:
Gov. Sarah Palin: “Darn right it was the predator lenders, who tried to talk Americans into thinking that it was smart to buy a $300,000 house if we could only afford a $100,000 house. There was deception there, and there was greed, and there is corruption on Wall Street. And we need to stop that. Again, John McCain and I, that commitment that we have made, and we're going to follow through on that, getting rid of that corruption.”
Sen. Joe Biden: “Two years ago Barack Obama warned about the subprime mortgage crisis. John McCain said shortly after that in December he was surprised there was a subprime mortgage problem. John McCain – while Barack Obama was warning about what we had to do – was literally giving an interview to the Wall Street Journal saying that 'I'm always for cutting regulations.' We let Wall Street run wild.”
ON THE CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE:
Sen. Joe Biden: “If you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with a solution. We know what the cause is. The cause is man made. That's the cause. That's why the polar ice cap is melting.”
Gov. Sarah Palin: “I'm not one to attribute every ... activity of man to the changes in the climate. 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. What I want to argue about is, how are we going to get there to positively affect the impacts?”
ON WHETHER THEY SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE:
Sen. Joe Biden: “No. Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage. We do not support that. That is basically the decision to be able to be left to faiths and people who practice their faiths, the determination, what you call it.”
Gov. Sarah Palin: “Your question to him was whether he supported gay marriage, and my answer is the same as his and it is that I do not.”
ON TAXES:
Sen. Joe Biden: “Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way. It was a budget procedural vote. John McCain voted the same way. It did not raise taxes. Number two, using the standard that the governor uses, John McCain voted 477 times to raise taxes.”
Gov. Sarah Palin: “We can speak in agreement here that darn right we need tax relief for Americans so that jobs can be created here. Now, Barack Obama and Sen. Biden also voted for the largest tax increases in U.S. history. Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people's side and reduce taxes and 94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction, 94 times. Now, that's not what we need to create jobs and really bolster and heat up our economy.”
ON THE BAILOUT BILL AND WHETHER THE PROCESS REPRESENTED THE BEST OR WORST OF WASHINGTON:
Sen. Joe Biden: I think it's neither the best or worst of Washington, but it's evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we've ever had. As a consequence, you've seen what's happened on Wall Street.
If you need any more proof positive of how bad the economic theories have been – this excess of deregulation, the failure to oversee what was going on, letting Wall Street run wild – I don't think you needed any more evidence than what you see now. So the Congress has been put in – Democrats and Republicans – have been put in a very difficult spot.
Gov. Sarah Palin: You know, I think a good barometer here, as we try to figure out has this been a good time or a bad time in America's economy is go to a kids' soccer game on Saturday and turn to any parent there on the sideline and ask them, 'How are you feeling about the economy?' ”
And I'll bet you you're going to hear some fear in that parent's voice, fear regarding the few investments that some of us have in the stock market – did we just take a major hit with those investments? – fear about how are we going to afford to send our kids to college; a fear, as small-business owners, perhaps, how we're going to borrow any money to increase inventory or hire more people.
The barometer there, I think, is going to be resounding that our economy is hurting and the federal government has not provided the sound oversight that we need and that we deserve. And we need reform to that end.
