Palin Gets Ready For Eagerly Awaited Debate With Biden

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McCain, Palin On Critics

John McCain and Sarah Palin talk with Katie Couric about Palin's view on cross border attacks in Pakistan. Palin reacts to the criticism of some GOP members who want her to step down.

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And Palin has maintained her command when delivering prepared remarks. Yesterday she told a crowd in Columbus, Ohio, that while the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., might be confident of winning Thursday's debate, "then again, this is the same Senator Biden who said the other day that the University of Delaware would trounce the Ohio State Buckeyes."

Off script, though, Palin has become increasingly tentative. Last week, when a member of the press pool asked Palin a question at the outset of a meeting she and McCain were holding with the presidents of Georgia and Ukraine, she looked to McCain, who shook his head, and she stayed silent.

Palin's recent interview with Couric showed the governor in an even less flattering light. When asked what she thought of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue proposal, Palin delivered a rambling reply that included this extended passage:

"But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- oh, it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, um, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is part of that."

Her response has become instantly famous, and when comedian Tina Fey parodied Palin in a mock interview on "Saturday Night Live" last weekend, she quoted some of the passage verbatim, drawing laughter from the audience.

Polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.