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October 01, 2008
Daily Palin: Debate Preview Edition
Just about says it all, huh?
And just to make clear why I am so focused on the Palin stuff: Because the veep pick is the first substantive decision that every presidential nominee makes. It is a window into their theory of governance, providing a critical and revealing advance glimpse of what their administration would look like and how he or she would govern.
So: Palin was a political pick, designed solely for the base and the fleeting thrill of novelty. She has proven herself manifestly unqualified. She is not a serious selection. To be clear: this is not because she is a woman, not because she is a conservative, but because she just doesn't fully comprehend the breadth or depth of problems confronting our country. She is not qualified - and because John McCain chose her, he is not qualified either.
Nervous but excited about tomorrow night. For all the talk about Biden's freewheeling gaffe-a-thon, I think that narrative has been so overplayed at this point that he will be able to stun his audience with succinct discipline, much as he did back in the primary debates all those many months ago. I truly believe that ol' Joe will be the very picture of respect: cordial yet firm, gracious yet precise in his disagreements. (And there are many.)
Because you know what? Joe Biden gets it. He knows that his team - our team - is winning. He is going to do everything he has to do, everything that has been spelled our for him ad nauseum by the press and, I presume, his campaign advisors: Be nice. Be crisp. Don't talk too much. Attack McCain, not her. Keep in control. Keep it clean.
Joe's been waiting twenty years for this shot. I fully expect him to hit it clean out of the park and shock the hastily-coagulated conventional wisdom, which argues that he just can't keep it together long enough. I am not in the least underestimating Palin: I expect her to be vicious, goading, loaded to the gills with talking points and zippy one-liners. I expect her to taunt Biden explicitly and trash Obama in passing. But you know what? I think Biden keeps his cool, plays it smart, and watches Palin get hoisted by her own petard. I think Biden proves he was the right pick tomorrow.
At any rate, it is going to be fucking fascinating. It's a two hour debate, for Christ's sake!
Posted by caps at October 1, 2008 08:12 PM