The vice-presidential debate is, in some respect, a side show. Conventional wisdom suggests that voters make their choice primarily on the name at the top of the ticket. In a post-Dick Cheney world, however, voters must consider the possibility that whomever they elect as vice-president may not be limited to an auxiliary role.

Thursday's debate gave voters a unique opportunity to consider the full implications of an Obama-Biden or McCain-Palin administration. Both candidates were polite, and - for the most part - stylistically sound. But what about the issues?

Candidates talk economy, taxes

With poll numbers handing Senator Obama a substantial advantage on economic issues, Governor Palin entered Thursday's debate fighting an uphill battle. Senator Biden immediately went on the offensive, blaming the Bush administration's "failed policies" for the sub-prime mortgage crisis and seeking to tie Senator McCain to Bush's legacy.

Palin, however, stayed on-message, doing her best to distance McCain from an unpopular president. Palin repeatedly spoke of the need for "reform" and "oversight," and labeled both herself and Senator McCain as "mavericks" who would challenge the established Washington bureaucracy and take on corporate greed.

Biden responded by attacking McCain's judgment, asserting that McCain was "surprised" by the subprime mortgage crisis, whereas Obama had predicted it years in advance. Biden's attack - which he repeated multiple times throughout the debate - was never fully addressed by Governor Palin.

The McCain campaign correctly calculated, however, that they would not win the economic debate by focusing on the subprime mortgage crisis. Palin, therefore, attempted to move the debate towards an issue where Republicans have historically held an advantage: taxes.

Palin argued that McCain's proposed tax cuts would spark economic growth and claimed Obama had voted to raise taxes 94 times as a member of the Senate. She quickly abandoned this line of argument, however, when Biden pointed out that by the same standard McCain had voted for more than 400 tax increases in his time in the Senate. Instead, Palin argued that Obama's tax plan would hurt small businesses by raising taxes on wealthy Americans. Biden disagreed and argued that Obama's plan would not affect small businesses.

The tax debate was never fully resolved, with each side claiming that only their candidate's plan would preserve American jobs and promote economic growth.

Palin's foreign policy test

Palin's inexperience was most apparent in the debate over Iraq policy. When Biden launched into a long explanation of Obama's withdrawal plan, Palin appeared momentarily flustered, pausing for a few seconds before asserting that Obama's plan amounted to "surrender." Palin was unable to take advantage of traditional Democratic weaknesses on the war, relying heavily on a few major talking points at the expense of detail. In contrast, Biden effectively answered Palin's claim that Obama had voted against funding the troops by pointing out that McCain had voted against similar legislation, and once again attacked McCain's weakest point by associating him with Bush's "failed" Iraq policies.

Palin's answers were similarly vague on topics such as interventionism and nuclear disarmament. At other times, though, Palin displayed an impressive knowledge of foreign policy. The governor went on the offensive against Obama's Iran policy, labeling it "naïve" and "dangerous," and held her own against Biden on issues relating to Pakistan and Israel. By citing foreign policy experts such as Henry Kissinger, Palin was also able to hedge against some of her inexperience and boost her foreign policy credibility.

One winner?

The ever-present question, of course, is whether American voters care more about substance or style. While Governor Palin probably ended up behind on substance, she was hardly the stylistic disaster that some had predicted. If nothing else, Palin remained confident throughout the debate and prevented Senator Biden from scoring any major perceptual victories. The McCain campaign may not have won this debate, but they can feel secure that they probably didn't lose it either.