A history of vice presidential debates

>>> beautiful danville, kentucky, here. welcome back to "the daily rundown." a little testing of music in the background. tonight's biden-ryan face-off comes at a pivotal time in the race. vice presidential debates typically don't have much, if any, impact on an election's outcome, but they produce the most memorable moments in televised history. today we're taking a deep dive into some of our favorites. four years ago, nearly 70 million viewers watched joe biden go toe to toe with former governor sarah palin . ready for this? it wasn't just the most viewed vice presidential debate in history. it was the most viewed presidential debate in history. coming off an unforgettable interview with katie couric , viewers were eager to see how the alaska governor would fare against the senior senator from delaware. before the debate even got under way, palin delivered one of the most memorable lines of the night.

>> hey, can i call you joe?

>> you can call me joe.

>> thanks.

>> campaign manager steve schmidt later revealed it was a conscious effort to avoid this slip-up.

>> barack obama and senator o'biden, you've said no to everything --

>> of course, the palin-biden matchup was not the first time a relative rookie faced off against a more seasoned opponent. in 2004 , it was vice president dick cheney up against senator john edwards . with one rehearsed line highlighted edwards' inexperienced and his poor senate attendance record.

>> i'm up in the senate most tuesdays when they're in session. the first time i ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight.

>> but the prize for the best zinger aimed at a whipper snapper undoubtedly goes to the late senator lloyd benson . in his 1988 debate against a youthful dan quayle , benson delivered one of the most famous lines in any debate history.

>> senator, i served with jack kennedy . i knew jack kennedy . jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you're no jack kennedy .

>> it can be a tough line for a washington veteran to walk, touting experience without talking down to an opponent. something that george h.w. bush failed at during his 1984 debate with geraldine ferraro .

>> let me help you with the difference, miss ferraro, between iran and the embassy in lebanon.

>> geraldine ferraro , the first ever female vp candidate, shot back with this.

>> let me just say, first of all, that i almost resent, vice president bush , your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy .

>> sometime just one line can cement the public's view of a candidate. ross perot 's running mate, admiral james stockdale , initially got laughs for this opening line.

>> who am i? why am i here?

>> he ended up the butt of jokes for years to come. then there was bob dole 's nasty tone during the '76 debate that helped shape a long-lasting negative image for the future nominee for president.

>> i figured out the other day, if we added up the killed and under wooed in democrat wars in this century, it would be 1.6 million americans, enough to fill the city of detroit.

>> mondale fired back, calling dole a hatchet man. but it's not all one-lipers and zingers. sometimes the vp debates are more friendly than fierce. in 1996 , al gore used a bit of self-depositi self depositirecating humor to knock jam kemp off his game.

>> i'll start by offering you a deal, jack. if you won't use any football stories, i won't tell any of my warm and humorous stories about fluorocarbon abatement.

>> and they were down right chummy on stage back in 2000 here in danville.

>> i too want to avoid any personal attacks. i promise not to bring up your singing.

>> i promise not to sing.

>> stakes are a lot higher tonight than in any past vp depates. we'll have to wait and see why it will be remembered for last gaffes, a game changer, or like the first ever televised vp debate, a nasty one.