Biden vs Palin Debate

The moment we have all been waiting for! It's finally Thursday, and in just a few hours we will finally get to see the first of the Vice Presidential Debates of 2008.

The Senator Joe Biden vs Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin Debate. (If you can really call it that)



Although considering the way these type of political television shows go, and according to the New York Times, McCain fought for a strict and structured format for the "debate" which will most likely leave most of us viewers scratching our head wondering "what debate?"

The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

What will they come up with next? A "loose format" would allow the nominees to answer questions and provide more reasoning for their stances on issues.

Here's the good part...

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges.

McCain doesn't want to see a real "debate" and somehow I doubt that's what we will see tonight.

What resulted from negotiations between campaigns is a 90-minute format that calls for the two candidates to stand at podiums and field questions from a moderator. Answers may not exceed 90 seconds, and two minutes of open discussion will follow each question. Each candidate will give a 90-second closing statement.

My guess is the McCain campaign wanted to keep Palin's answer time to as little as possible so she can repeat phrases and not have to do much "debating" at all.