Last night on WTTW, 13th District GOP Rep. Judy Biggert and Democratic challenger Scott Harper appeared together for a discussion that largely focused on the economy and ongoing financial crisis.  Biggert's performance didn't exactly instill confidence, however.  Simply put, she seemed a bit out of it. 

Check out her answer to a question about taxes.  Her argument -- this is no time for tax hikes -- is pretty straightforward and unsurprising coming from the lips of a GOP congresswoman.  But watch as she appears to just lose her train of thought:

That's not the way you want to end a debate.

Earlier in the segment, she and Harper discussed economic concerns in the district and offered their thoughts on the various versions of the $700 billion bailout plan.  Biggert's answers again lacked clarity and she came off as a bit unauthoritative for a five-term member of Congress:

As for Harper, it would have been nice to see him take a page from Dan Seals' book and not only talk about the need for taxpayer protection, but also assistance for homeowners and workers.  That being said, kudos to him for bringing up the lack of regulation -- over bond ratings agencies and derivative markets -- and forcing Biggert to answer for it.  Again, she rambled far too much in her response, distracting from whatever defense she was trying to get across.