Sarah Palin and Joe Biden slugged it out toe-to-toe in their vice-presidential face-off in St. Louis. In Portland, a sometimes raucous crown at the Bagdad Theater cheered and sometimes bood and laughed at candidates' comments. The crowd was largely pro-Obama/Biden, but the McCain/Palin crowd had a few people there as well. On the big screen, Biden appeared more relaxed and ready, and at first, Palin may have been over-prepared. She appeared a bit tight, at times not directly answering the questions. But she did not back down, and appeared to relax a bit and grow a bit more sharp as the debate wore on. The stakes were high for Palin, who has been derided lately by some late-night comics after she fumbled a couple of interviews. On substance, neither candidate really addressed the question of how the government would pay for the $700 billion bailout, or the additional billions that have been piled onto it in order to get more votes in congress. Biden and Palin sparred on taxes, each attacking the other party's proposals with claims they would not help the average person. Neither offered a way to pay for those cuts. The candidates both agreed they would not sanction gay marriage. However, when Palin said that, many of those at the Bagdad Theater jeered and bood. When Biden said the same, they were silent. The clashes on Iraq were largely a repetition of the McCain-Obama debate of last week. The two argued details about Iran and Afghanistan. Although Biden did well, Palin did not back down, and may have saved her reputation from some of the damage it has suffered lately. Whether she actually won the debate, or won enough votes to sway the election, is another matter. -Gene Greer, KOIN Local 6.com-