Vice-presidential hopefuls Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney upstaged their prospective bosses with an election debate marked by civility, eloquence and wit.
With Tuesday night's scrappy encounter between presidential rivals George W. Bush and Vice-President Al Gore showing inconclusive results among voters, Mr Cheney and Senator Lieberman appealed to higher motives on Thursday night. Ironically, many observers thought they looked more presidential in doing so.
Both men vowed to avoid negative attacks and actually kept their word. They also avoided the sound-bite rhetoric, over-cooked patriotism and cheap political point-scoring that often dominates campaigns, and won praise for their warmth and humanity.
'They are two good people,' said retired Republican senator Alan Simpson after the 90-minute debate in Danville, Kentucky. It was the only time the pair will face off before the November 7 poll. 'The American people were the winners tonight,' he said.
Tuesday's affair saw Mr Bush rely on flurries of prepared sound-bites, while Mr Gore used facial grimaces and audible sighs to at times unnerve his opponent.
On Thursday, both Senator Lieberman and Mr Cheney outlined policy differences in far greater depth and breadth than their bosses, highlighting splits on education, energy, the military and social security and tax reform.
Former defence secretary Mr Cheney appeared strong on education and the need for a change in leadership, while Senator Lieberman passionately called for new efforts on race relations and tolerance. Mr Cheney wanted small government and individual empowerment, while Senator Lieberman spoke of budgetary prudence.