A newspaper headline is taped to a booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP)

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A gut-wrenching week that started with market meltdown and stumbled into a vice-presidential debate with ever quite finding its feet.

On Monday, the bailout package and the Dow Jones Industrials went down together like Hindenburg. By mid-week, some revival in the markets and a Senate resuscitation for the rescue. But no guarantees on where we’re headed.

And then came Sarah and Joe. Palin versus Biden. The VP pick who stares into the camera and winks at the nation. And the Senate veteran who tried to punch right through to John McCain.

This hour, On Point: Behind the headlines of a big, big week.

You can join the conversation. What did you make of Biden versus Palin? Are you ready for the rescue? The bailout? The path ahead? Let us know your thoughts.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Joining us from Washington is Tony Blankley, columnist for The Washington Times and a visiting senior fellow in national-security communications at the Heritage Foundation.

Also with us from Washington is Margaret Talev, correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers’ Washington bureau. She has been covering the negotiations in Congress over the bailout, and was on the campaign trail with Obama this week in Detroit and Colorado.

And with us from Hanover, New Hampshire, is Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

Sen. Joe Biden smiles after arriving at the Pepsi Center for the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

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Live from Denver on Day Three of the Democratic National Convention.

Tonight, Barack Obama, formally, finally, being made the Democrats’ choice. The nominee. There’s been a flurry of nominations, roll call, and cheers in the last ninety minutes. We’ll bring it all to you.

Then we’ll turn the spotlight on Bill Clinton, who speaks tonight, and Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, who makes his big address.

This hour, live from Denver, we’re looking at Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and the Democrats in Denver.

You can join the conversation. What do you want to hear from Joe Biden? From Bill Clinton? Are Democrats making the case? Tell us what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Margaret Talev, national political correspondent for the McClatchy Washington Bureau. She’s been on the road with Obama this week and joins us from the press bus in Denver. You can read her recent reporting here.

Fred Thys, political reporter for WBUR-Boston. He joins us here in the Pepsi Center, where he’s been following the action on the convention floor.

Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Joe Klein, columnist for Time magazine (his latest piece is “Where’s Obama’s Passion?”) and author of “Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid.” He’s also the author (as Anonymous) of the novel “Primary Colors,” a fictionalized account of Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign in 1992.

Anna Greenberg, pollster and senior vice president at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic strategy and consulting firm. You can read her commentaries here.

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

More links:

Listen back to our conversation with Joe Biden, when he was making a bid for Democratic nominee in August 2007.

Watch Barack Obama’s announcement of his VP pick on August 23, 2008: