Palin, Biden spar on economic crisis

The vice presidential candidates have clashed on the economy, foreign policy, energy and global warming in their only debate.

The faceoff between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden was held in St. Louis at Washington University.

On Iraq, Palin noted that Biden had once said Barack Obama wasn't ready to be commander in chief. Biden accused John McCain of being "dead wrong on the fundamental issues relating to the conduct of the war."

Palin repeatedly sought to describe herself a Washington outsider and part of a "team of mavericks." But Biden charged that McCain would be a straight successor to President Bush. He said McCain had voted 4 out of 5 times for bloated Bush budgets.

Palin accused Biden of reciting the past rather than looking to the future.