Obama’s Value Diminishes Slightly Following VP Debate

How did the prediction markets react to Thursday night's highly anticipated Vice Presidential debate?

Intrade.com asked: "Will Barack Obama's Intrade value will increase more than John McCain's following the VP debate?"

Earlier in the day 64 percent said it would. Following the debate that number dropped to 55 percent.

Still, the public tended to agree that Democratic running mate, Joe Biden, had won the debate though many also felt Republican running mate, Sarah Palin, held her own and some websites outside the news arenas actually had Palin winning. Expectations were very low and she clearly exceeded them.

Palin tried to paint Barack Obama as "dangerous" for being open to meeting with rogue leaders without preconditions.

"An issue like that taken up by a presidential candidate goes beyond naivete and goes beyond poor judgment," Palin said.

"A statement that he made like that is downright dangerous because leaders like [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, who would seek to acquire nuclear weapons and wipe off the face of the earth an ally like we have in Israel should not be met with without preconditions and diplomatic efforts being undertaken first."

Palin also said Obama's campaign does "too much finger-pointing" to be serious about its call for change.

"There have been huge blunders in the war. There have been huge blunders throughout this administration, as there are with every administration.

"But for a ticket that wants to talk about change and looking into the future, there's too much finger-pointing backwards to ever make us believe that's where you're going," she said.

Biden responded with, "Past is prologue."

He said it is relevant to call out problems with the Bush administration because so far, McCain's policy "is the same as George Bush's, and you know where that policy has taken us."

"We will make significant change so once again we're the most respected nation in the world," Biden said.

Biden called current Vice President Dick Cheney "one of the most dangerous vice presidents."

Biden said he would serve a different role than Cheney if Obama was elected president.

The Alaska governor also noted that Biden had once said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wasn't ready to be commander in chief, "and I know again that you opposed the move that he made to try to cut off funding for the troops and I respect you for that."

47 percent surveyed by AOL had Sarah Palin winning the debate compared to 45 percent who said Joe Biden had won it, clearly mirroring what was occurring at online prediction market, Intrade.com. But 49 percent believed Biden would make a better Vice President compared to 48 percent for Palin.

----

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher