VP Debate: Bring it!

I sent Tonya a text last night asking how her debate prep was going. Her response was that she's ready to hit one out of the park. That would give me more comfort had she not spent the afternoon at the batting cage. At this point, though, I just have to trust that she'll be ok.

McCain, on the other hand, is sweating bullets. He got testy when the editorial board of the Des Moines Register questioned Palin's qualifications. Personally, I think he should have been pleased with how that went. They didn't seem to challenge his more "stretching the bounds of reason" responses. But my favorite has to be his comment to NPR that he has consulted with Palin on foreign policy issues many times. Yeah, right. Only if by "consulted" he meant to say, "I grounded her for saying such inane things out loud. And I took away the keys to her campaign plane."

Question: Is it "gotcha" journalism if the same journalist asks candidates from both parties the same question? Yes, that's right. It's today's Katie Couric moment! You can get a good feel for the differences between Palin and Biden by reading the transcripts of Katie asking both candidates about Roe v. Wade and Supreme Court decisions they disagree with. But to fully appreciate the difference, you need to watch the clip. The long pause after Couric asks Palin about other decisions is a frightening look at how Palin operates: she doesn't have a sound-bite non-response at the ready, so she falls back on the old tried and true method of giving an evasive non-answer in an incoherent jumble of words.

I hope that Gwen Ifill asks some tough questions of the candidates. The McCain camp, of course, already have their excuses lined up. Whatever. They will only stir up those who are already going to vote for them and will risk alienating those who are undecided. I don't know why they don't come out and say exactly what they are thinking: Ifill can't be impartial because she's black. Go ahead. Say it. I dare you. I double-dog dare you. I promise I won't use it against you. Of course, I can't control the liberal media. But go ahead. Don't worry.