Veep stakes

Surprisingly wonky.

Last night's debate between vice presidential candidates U.S. Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not the fireworks show or the soap opera that some pundits craved. Instead it was a largely substantive exchange between two people who weren't afraid to look at one another or to take occasional jabs. But there were few body blows.

Moderator Gwen Ifill, who appeared to be wrapped in seaweed, capably guided the candidates through assorted topics five minutes at a time. Palin, who performed so poorly in recent one-on-one interviews with CBS's Katie Couric, was far sharper in this format but she was generally more forceful than specific and often fell back into discussing energy policies even when the topic had moved beyond that.

Palin turned on the folksy charm from the first moments, saying to Biden, "Can I call you, Joe?" and thanking Ifill. She also peppered her speech with "betchas" and "darn rights" and even a wink at the audience while defining the fundamentals of the American economy as its workforce. She also gave a "shout-out" to students at some Alaska elementary school.

She managed to work "maverick" and "reform" into her answers and demonstrated her maverickness with one response, saying, "I may not answer the question the way you or the moderator want to hear but I am going to talk straight to the American people."

Other highlights:

-- Biden made reference to a McCain proposal as "the ultimate bridge to nowhere," a dig at Palin.

-- Palin attempted to school Biden on the chant "Drill, baby, drill" after he paraphrased it, but Palin's use of the Republican convention chant produced high negatives among uncommitted female voters in Ohio in instant on-screen reaction on CNN-HD.

-- Biden took a page from U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's positive playbook in last week's debate, saying respectfully on a few occasions, "I agree with the governor..."

-- Palin persists in pronouncing the word nuclear as "nuc-u-lar," which brings to mind President George W. Bush, which is probably not an association the McCain campaign wants to conjure.

-- When Biden got emotional and his voice cracked, ratings among uncommitted Ohio voters -- both men and women -- went through the roof. It was followed by Palin's praise of U.S. Sen. John McCain, which generated a mostly neutral response.