A. Granado, Media General News Service

The one and only vice presidential debate is over, and while some in the media have called it for Joseph Biden, and others for Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate is the winner.

We don’t say this because she outthought, out talked or out argued her opponent but because she held her own in an event that some critics were saying would be the final nail in the coffin of her credibility.

Palin has not submitted to much direct scrutiny from the press since McCain announced her as his running mate. She has sat down for a small number of interviews and her performance has been underwhelming.

Often, during her previous interviews, she had seem flustered, unprepared and, well, inexperienced.

So, going into Thursday’s debates, some expected that she would display a continued lack of ability by not being able to to stand up to Biden or answer the questions posed to her.
Instead Palin showed poise, confidence and comprehension of the issues. She not only stood up to Biden but seemed comfortable challenging him.

For any doubters of the vice presidential candidate, there is little room for continued skepticism, at least as far as her ability to comment on important issues goes.
The question of her experience is still in the air, but Obama’s camp is in no position to be throwing any stones on that issue.
She certainly did not seem inexperienced Thursday night.

And as to whether she is qualified to be vice president… of course she is. So is every other native-born individual in the United States who is over 35 years of age and has lived here for at least 14 years.
The questions, doubts and skepticism about Sarah Palin should fall by the wayside as we go into the remaining days of the campaigns.

For those who saw the Palin interviews before Thursday and thought, “I’m not voting for that ticket,” they might have been singing a different tune Friday morning.