What some say about Palin as a debater

Ask nearly anyone in Alaska, and they will tell you that Governor Sarah Palin is a great debater.

"She has an amazing ability to turn a 45 second answer into a folksy story... she's never been forced to know the issues." Mr Halcro said Mrs Palin's biggest strength is her ability to "fill the room with her presence". Having studied at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School, in addition to being a lifelong Alaskan and lawmaker, Mr Halcro came to the debates armed with a wealth of knowledge and statistics.

"I don't think anyone could have beat her," Mr Halcro said. "It wasn't about how much she knew about the issues. People didn't care about her experience, they just thought, 'This is the drink of water we need'."

Barack Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod has praised Mrs Palin's debating skills, recognising it will be a challenging debate.

BBC News