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After Thursday's debate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. Joe Biden and their families mingled on stage.

ABOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN) - On the surface, at least, the civility at Thursday's vice presidential debate started the moment Joe Biden and Sarah Palin warmly greeted each other on the stage at the outset.

The cordiality lingered - you could see it in the apparently friendly conversations between the candidates, and between the candidates' families, after the debate was over.

Policy differences aside, here in St. Louis, Missouri, all feelings were good feelings, if you believed what you were seeing.

And the question becomes, as the presidential campaign moves on today:

Does this signal an end to the escalating campaign nastiness the country has observed in recent weeks? Will the attack ads stop, will the ruthless thrusts by the opposing organizations come to an end?

You already know the answer. If past is prologue, the meanest days on the path to the presidency lie ahead.

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CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from The Best Political Team.

(CNN)– Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin covered it all in their first and only vice presidential debate, from the economy to the war in Iraq. In the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily, Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley takes a look at how well Biden and Palin made the case for their tickets, while CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux gives you an inside look at the ‘spin room’– where the campaigns worked post-debate to sway public opinion.

Plus: The $700 billion bailout bill is expected to head back to the House Friday, where lawmakers will make a second try at passing the emergency legislation. CNN’s Jim Acosta has the details on the bailout proposal, and how likely it is to pass.

Finally: Biden and Palin outlined what their roles would be in an Obama or McCain administration Friday night. CNN Special Correspondent Frank Sesno takes a look at what the role of VP has been in the past - and what it could be for whomever gets the job.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

Has Obama ever broken with his party?

The Statement:
Gov. Sarah Palin said at the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate that Sen. Barack Obama has "pretty much only voted along his party lines. In fact, 96 percent of his votes have been solely along party line."

Get the facts!

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Senator Hillary Clinton issued a statement praising Biden's performance.

(CNN) - Hillary Clinton issued a statement shortly after the debate praising Joe Biden's performance:

“Tonight's debate underscored the stark choice American families face in this election," she said. “I've known Senator Biden a long time – as Americans saw tonight, he is a strong, passionate and experienced leader. Like Barack Obama, Joe Biden understands both the economic stresses here at home and the strategic challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.

“We saw yet again that Senator McCain and Sarah Palin will offer only more of the same failed policies of the Bush Administration. America's hardworking Middle Class families deserve better.”

Gov. Palin said Sen. Obama 'would be willing to meet with' Ahmadinejad, but is he?.

The Statement: Gov. Sarah Palin said at the October 2 vice presidential debate that Sen. Barack Obama "would be willing to meet with" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "without preconditions being met first."

Get the facts!

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Biden and Palin faced of Thursday night. (Getty Images)

(CNN) – Sen. Joe Biden gave a knowledgeable but restrained performance in Thursday night's debate, while Gov. Sarah Palin sought to show that her accomplishments as governor and mayor prove she is qualified to be vice president.

Biden slammed John McCain, saying that "he has been no maverick on the issues that matter to people lives," but his only challenge to Palin was asking her to articulate a policy on the Iraq war.

Palin pushed her "track record of reform" and said she and McCain are a " team of mavericks."

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Sen. Joe Biden said the 'commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle won't work in Afghanistan.'

The Statement:
Sen. Joe Biden said at the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate that "our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan."

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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) - A sampling of the way campaign surrogates were spinning Thursday night's VP debate:

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds:

"She was very deliberate, she was very concise."

"She exceeded expectations that were too low created by people who don't know her record or her abilities."

"She benefited from the media's quick judgment they made of her after a few interviews."

"She really stuck it to him."

"This is all about the middle class."

***

Obama surrogate Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

"That was the pinnacle of the debate" when Biden got emotional talking about his family.

"She [Palin] was so cold, so insensitive that she didn't respond... A first response would be to acknowledge someone's loss. Instead she just pressed on with her talking points. She couldn't get out of her box, which shows how she has so little command of the subject matter."

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Senator Hillary Clinton issued a statement praising Biden's performance.

(CNN) - Hillary Clinton issued a statement shortly after the debate praising Joe Biden's performance:

“Tonight's debate underscored the stark choice American families face in this election," she said. “I've known Senator Biden a long time – as Americans saw tonight, he is a strong, passionate and experienced leader. Like Barack Obama, Joe Biden understands both the economic stresses here at home and the strategic challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.

“We saw yet again that Senator McCain and Sarah Palin will offer only more of the same failed policies of the Bush Administration. America's hardworking Middle Class families deserve better.”

Biden was all smiles boarding his campaign plane after the debate.

(CNN) – A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won but also hints that Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey is not a measurement of the views of all Americans, since only people who watched the debate were questioned.

Watch: 'The most important election,' Biden says

Fifty-one percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job in Thursday night's debate, while 36 percent thought Palin did the best job.

But respondents said the folksy Palin was more likable, scoring 54 percent to Biden's 36 percent.

Watch: 'We will fight for America,' Palin says

Both candidates exceeded expectations - 84 percent of the people polled said Palin did a better job than they expected, while 64 percent said Biden also exceeded expectations.

But on the question of the candidates' qualifications to assume the presidency, 87 percent of the people polled said Biden is qualified while only 42 percent said Palin is qualified.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Barack Obama, was also selected as a winner in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation about the presidential debate last week.

Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin start their debate with a discussion of the economy.

(CNN) – Sen. Joe Biden gave a knowledgeable but restrained performance in Thursday night's debate, while Gov. Sarah Palin sought to show that her accomplishments as governor and mayor prove she is qualified to be vice president.

Biden slammed John McCain, saying that "he has been no maverick on the issues that matter to people lives," but his only challenge to Palin was asking her to articulate a policy on the Iraq war.

Palin pushed her "track record of reform" and said she and McCain are a " team of mavericks."

"We're known for putting partisan politics aside to just get the job done," she said.

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."

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The Statement:

During the vice-presidential debate in St. Louis on Thursday, Oct. 2, Republican nominee Gov. Sarah Palin criticized Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama's opposition to the military "surge" in Iraq and said, "The surge worked. Barack Obama still can't admit the surge works."

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The Biden and Palin families meet on stage after the debate. (CNN)

Sen. Biden went head to head with Gov. Palin Thursday night.

(CNN)–Republican conservatives should be happy tonight: the Sarah Palin who showed up for the debate was the same spirited, authentic woman when she was announced, not the one who sat down with Katie Couric.

While she made a few small mistakes and often avoided direct answers, she deserves credit for performing as well as she did in a moment of huge pressure.

Her problem was that the Joe Biden who showed up delivered the best debate performance of his life. He was extremely well informed, especially on foreign policy, and he argued his case with force and occasional eloquence. Like Palin, he didn't make any big mistakes either - and importantly, he was never condescending toward her.

Overall, it seems to me that when the debate was over, Palin could hold her head high and will meet with large, boisterous crowds on the campaign trail again. She did herself and John McCain well among Republican partisans. But Biden was the superior debater and , I would imagine, will help to solidify the Democrats' current lead. Over the next few weeks, McCain will have to take it away from Obama himself if he is to win.

If I had to give a score, it would be Palin A minus; Biden A plus.

Will very much look forward to hearing how voters respond - they are the ones rightly in charge.

The Statement:

At a debate Thursday, Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Missouri, Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin touted her record of cutting taxes as a mayor and as governor of Alaska. "As mayor, every year I was in office, I did reduce taxes. I eliminated personal property taxes and eliminated small business inventory taxes. And as governor, we suspended our state fuel tax," she said.

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Holmes: Palin 'wildly' exceeded expectations.

(CNN)–Palin: A+. The plus is for wildly exceeding expectations. She more than held her own. She was polished, direct, folksy, and on message. She stressed her personal experience both as a mom and as a governor, from the kitchen table to the executive branch, her record as a reformer and bipartisan deal maker. She even got Biden to agree with her.

Biden gets an A. He was tough, but respectful, disciplined and clear. He hammered away at McCain's maverick status. Biden was clearly in his element.

This debate was a credit to both candidates. I think voters can be proud of what they just watched.

ST LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) - Palin's primary strength is her outside of Washington status. She doesn't act like an insider, she doesn't talk like an insider, and a lot of voters may respond to that.

(CNN) – While answering a question on benefits for same sex couples during the vice presidential debate, Sarah Palin said she would be tolerant about Americans “choosing their partners, choosing relationships that they deem best for themselves.”

Palin used similar wording when talking about a lesbian friend in an interview with CBS’s Katie Couric earlier this week, in comments that seemed to suggest she believes homosexuality is a choice.

“She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice I would have made,” Palin said.

Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin shake hands following the Vice presidential debate.(AP PHOTO)

The Statement:
During the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2, Democratic nominee Joe Biden described Republican presidential nominee John McCain as a long-time supporter of deregulation of the banking industry and added, "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for
the health care industry (is) deregulate it and let the free market move like he did for the banking industry."

Get the facts!

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