True North

Ernest Hemingway famously defined courage as grace under pressure. I thought Joe Biden did well for those who might have been unaware of his liberties with the truth. But last night Sarah Palin last night provided a good example of the kind of grace of which Hemingway spoke.

Reviewing the transcript of the debate this morning confirms my impression of last night. I thought that one of Governor Palin's strongest moments came in talking about foreign policy when she addressed Biden:

[I]t's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider. And someone just not used to the way you guys operate. Because here you voted for the war and now you oppose the war. You're one who says, as so many politicians do, I was for it before I was against it or vice-versa. Americans are craving that straight talk and just want to know, hey, if you voted for it, tell us why you voted for it and it was a war resolution.

And you had supported John McCain's military strategies pretty adamantly until this race and you had opposed very adamantly Barack Obama's military strategy, including cutting off funding for the troops that attempt all through the primary.

And I watched those debates, so I remember what those were all about.