Part 3

Ifill: Same sex benefits?

Biden - Absolutely. Same sex couples should have visitation rights, ownership, insurance, etc. We do support the same constitutional benefits for same sex couples.

Palin - I will be clear that I am tolerant. However, I don't think that we should redefine marriage. In that tolerance, no one would propose anything that would prohibit visitation, etc. I don't support defining marriage as anything but one man, one woman.

Biden - Barack Obama nor I do not support same sex marriage. We agree.

Ifill - Let's move on to foreign policy. Governor, you have called for a real clear exit plan

Palin - We do have a great plan instituted by a great American hero, Petraeus, and supported by another great hero, McC. AWESOME move, praising Biden for cutting down Obama's vote to withhold funding to troops in the field as a political act. It would be a travesty if we would quit in Iraq.

Biden - I didn't hear a plan. We have a plan. Have to have a timeline. McC voted against funding when it included a timeline. 16 month withdrawal. We will end this war. FUNDAMENTAL difference - we will END this war.

Palin - Your plan is a white flag of surrender. Surge works; Obama won't admit that. We will leave when the Iraqi people can tell us they are ready to take over. Smiles and digs the knife as she recounts that Biden said that Obama wasn't ready to be C-in-C and said that you would be honored to run with him.

Biden - McC voted against funding because of the timeline. McC has been dead wrong on the fundamental issues of the Iraq war.

Ifill - Pakistan, I think (Emmy and Angela walked in just now)

Biden - Pakistan has a nuclear weapon. Iran doesn't have one yet. My problem with McC is that he says that the central front on the war on terror is in Iraq. It is in Pakistan. A stable gov needs to be established (good luck with that!). Madrassas are being built, and we should build schools.

Palin - Petraeus and al Qaeda agree that Iraq is the central front on the WOT. A-jad: calls Israel a stinking corpse. We can't let him acquire nukes (darn, she says nukular too). Calls out NoKorea, Castro bros, A-jad - you don't meet with these guys without preconditions.

Ifill - Bunch of former Secy's of State - engage with enemies - are they wrong?

Palin - No! Kissinger and I had a nice discussion. Meeting with them at a presidential level is wrong. These people hate America!

Biden - Claims that Obama didn't say he would meet with Iran. News to me. How do you make progress without sitting down with enemies? McC said as recently as a couple of weeks ago that he wouldn't sit down with the govt of Spain.

Ifill - You mentioned Israel - what has been done right or wrong?

Palin - Two state solution is the solution. Rice is trying to forge that peace (she used "that" in a weird way, maybe it's a regionalism). We will support Israel, build our embassy in Jerusalem, track record of forging peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. Commitment would be there to work with our friends in Israel.

Biden - No one is a better friend of Israel than Joe Biden. Rice is trying to turn around things late in the administration. Policy is an abject failure. Split screen view flatters Palin, hurts Biden.

Palin - Has it been an abject failure? No. I respect your support of Israel, Senator Biden. There have been huge blunders. Positive change is coming, reform is coming, we are going to forge ahead with reform. Change is coming.

Biden - Past is prologue. How will McC be different from Bush? On Iran? Afghanistan? Pakistan? How is it going to be different from George Bishis (I think that's what he is saying).