by Evie Stone

First smackdown from moderator Gwen Ifill. In response to her first question to the candidates, about they would each do as Vice President, both Biden and Palin provided lengthy discourses about the state of the US economy, complete with criticisms of the opposing presidential candidates' economic policies.

Before moving on, Ifill sternly pointed out that neither of them had answered the question. It's an early indication that she won't let these candidates get away with much tonight.