So the big Palin/Biden debate is coming up this Thursday. I know a lot of liberal minded people have watched the Couric and Gibson interviews and are pretty giddy about the upcoming Veep debate. I'm feeling confidently optimistic, but I think we should lower our expectations by raising them.

Meaning, I am anticipating an intelligent discussion between two intelligent people. I am going to operate under the assumption that she's going to show up and do really well in the debate. Despite her qualifications and despite the answers she's already given to basic questions, she is still the Vice Presidential nominee of a major political party, so I'm going to assume she's up for the job.

Thursday's debate may prove me wrong, and I hope it will, but I'd rather assume she's going to do really well and her do well than assume she's going to fall on her face and then her end up doing well.

I don't think it's a Rovian trap that they have set up, since it's *never* a good idea to put your Veep out there in anything other than the best circumstances, but I do think that the McCain campaign could totally play the expectations game by spinning a mediocre-to-good performance as a win.

I honestly don't know how this is going to play out. If she's cramming as much as I've read that she is, then she might show up and do really well. Especially if they keep it really simple. *sigh* But I've also crammed for tests and felt pretty confident only to fall in my face once the test is put in front of me. So I think we should all just assume she's going to do well.

And debates tend to be more about personality and your ability to answer a basic question than it is about knowledge. So I don't think this is as much of a shoo-in as some may think.

Biden needs to just be Biden. He needs to be his typical frank, ultra-knowledgeable self. He absolutely can not make any snide or sexist remarks towards her. I'm more worried about the sarcasm than anything overly sexist. If it were up to me, he'd come out, shake her hand, take to his lectern/seat, and get to it. Don't do any of the "pulling the seat out" for Palin or anything like Obama did in the Clinton debates. Gentlemanly comes off as sexist in a debate. At least it does to some.

That's all I have for now.

- Matt