Thoughts on Thursday's Debate

Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will square off tonight in one of the most anticipated Veep debates in, well, forever. We've become obsessed with how the Alaska Governer will handle the spectacle after of a series of on-air blunders that border on the absurd.

Anyone tapped into the mainstream media over the last month has watched and cringed as Palin went on the record with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. I'm not going to beat a dead horse and include transcripts or video clips from those interviews, but suffice it to say it was not pretty and she proved herself completely unqualified to hold the second most powerful position in the world.

Nevertheless, in spite of Palin's repeated failure to step up when she is sans teleprompter, the question still remains--How will she fair against Biden, a 35 year veteran of the U.S. senate and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Comittee? Logic would lead us to deduce that Mr. Biden will obliterate Ms. Moose-Huntin', Lip Stick Wearin', Joe Six-pack and send her cowering back to Wasilla.

But unfortunately it just ain't that simple.

Biden, for all his experience and expertise, suffers from a nasty case of "Foot in Mouth" disease. During his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, the New York Observer reported that Biden said of Barack Obama: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean that's storybook, man."

Ouch.

The senator has also shown that he can be wordy, patronizing and abrasive and while these aren't necessarily negative characteristics for a VP candidate, they will be spun by republicans as sexist should he employ them during the debate.

HOWEVER, there is a fundamental difference between these two candidates. Joe Biden has earned his right to say some dumb shit. He has served on the senate for over three decades. He is a proven expert on foreign and domestic policy. Clearly he has shown strong leadership and initiative; otherwise he would not have been re-elected time and time again. Sarah Palin simply does not have the street-cred to act like such an idiot. And yet she does. Repeatedly.

Biden's gaffe's are not nearly as significant an issue compared to his opponent's. What will make the difference between victory and defeat for Biden will be his ability to remain Obama-smooth. He must demonstrate his knowledge carefully and articulately. He must stay calm and not go on the attack. As long as Mr. Biden answers each question to the best of his ability, his experience will easily outshine whatever down-home appeal Ms. Palin has left.