McCain Camp Working On Palin-Biden Expectations Game

The expectations game is afoot in advance of the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. The conventional wisdom's wonderment amounts to these two ideas: Will Joe Biden wield his foreign policy expertise like a bludgeon and hurt the frail damsel from Alaska? Will Sarah Palin be able to complete a sentence without offering up an arrhythmic mashup of ancient McCain talking points? Based upon the pre-debate chit-chat, the best thing either Veep candidate can do for their ticket is confound everyone by standing still and saying absolutely nothing!

So what's a McCain flack to do? If you are Nancy Pfotenhauer, you go on Fox And Friends, a mythical land where they still believe John McCain "suspended" his campaign, and where the idea that McCain bravely paved the way on the bailout package instead of dully gumming up the works still roams from glen to glen like a magical unicorn. Gretchen Carlson is especially adorable, telling Pfotenhauer, "I think this debate thing may have gotten in the way" of the bailout work. That's right! This "debate thing!" Yeah, what was that "debate thing" all about, anyway?

The conversation soon turns to talk of Palin's debate prospects, and Pfotenhauer cheerily intones, "If it's a battle of wits, we like [Palin's] chances." Clearly, the McCain camp has a definition of "wits" distinct from mine, but hey, fair's fair when we're talking about a guy who put FDR on teevee in the late 1920s. The thing is, this upcoming "debate thing" will not be a "battle of wits" (we hope!) but rather a series of questions, and the last time Palin found herself facing "questions" ... well, this happened:

Pfotenhauer knows it, too, which must be why she describes the Couric interview as "a series of trapdoor questions." That's right! Asking Palin things like, "But can you give me any other concrete examples [of McCain's record of leadership on oversight]?" and "You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?" -- those are some REALLY CAGEY TRAPS.

Anyway, the McCain camp is going to keep a close eye on this debate. As Pfotenhauer intimates, if moderator Gwen Ifill asks Palin too many foreign policy questions, she's going to have to answer for it. And to think at one point, foreign policy was considered McCain's strength!

[WATCH.]

Comments

[wadda]

12:50 AM on 10/02/2008

People think she will fall on her face.

But she will show up; recite some line; babble some generalities; make a few cutting, sarcastic one-liners. The nut jobs will claim victory. The clueless will think she has moxie. The dull and dysfunctional will believe she is qualified.

All she has do do is breathe and keep her foot out of her mouth.

Those who have two gray cell to rub together know what a disaster McCain / Palin would be.

It isn't over yet. Register; vote; help as many people as you can to do the same.

Time is running out. Get busy (I tell myself this too.)

[desertdweller]

10:24 AM on 09/30/2008

Wasn’t it Rush Limbaugh that reminded us that "you can’t hit the girl?"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200708210002

[keepemhonest]

09:24 AM on 09/30/2008

Sarah Palin can alway use her 5 month old baby's pacifier during the debate.

[wadda]

12:38 AM on 10/02/2008

5 month old grandson's pacifier.

Where are those medical records?

[omac112211]

08:48 AM on 09/30/2008

"Hold on there Missy"

Foreign Policy was McCain's baby .. yet no one went easy on Obama!
Yet Obama won the First debate.

Don't start moving the goal posts!

[Independent voter]

08:48 AM on 09/30/2008

All you have to do is let Palin talk and it becomes shocking clear that she is a frakin eeydeeot

[londongal]

07:12 AM on 09/30/2008

Contact Gwen Ifill at the following address and let her know your concerns about the upcoming VP debates.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/feedback.html

[qtpi410]

06:31 AM on 09/30/2008

If Palin can shoot a moose she should be able to answer tough question. She was touted as having excuetive experience. Excuetives have to answer tough questions.
I can't figure out how she even got elected in Alaska. Maybe Todd had something to do with that, he seems to make calls to alot of people to help his wife.

OBAMA 08 God willing.

[suhud]

02:38 AM on 09/30/2008

PS: Wonder what Cindy thinks of Johnny surrounding himself with such WITCHES?

[Xenopus]

02:16 AM on 09/30/2008

If McCain looked far and wide he couldn't find a person to speak for him who was more irritating and obnoxious than this woman. She looks so smugly arrogant and the sound of her voice makes my teeth hurt. She can take a fact and twist it into something so viciously misleading and grossly negative without even batting an eyelash. When I see her on TV I have to turn the channel.

[Seven7s]

03:36 AM on 09/30/2008

THat's why she got the job lol

THat fake smile and talking over people when she is caught in a lie is exactly what republicans like in a surrogate.

[fumerunner]

01:58 AM on 09/30/2008

I think the McCain camp is going to shake things up and Thursday's debate is her last chance to stay on the ticket. I find it odd Rudy Giuliani was on the No Talk Express flight last week. To use baseball parlance, I think Rudy is warming up in the metaphorical bullpen. It'd make sense for them---Giuliani is popular in Pennsylvania and Florida, two states with large NY diaspora.
--
Obviously I'm just conjecturing here, but I think the McCain/Schmidt/Davis cabal viewed the Palin selection as not a final one, but just a trial balloon and offering at the altar of religious conservatives. Something is up with Team McCain and the personnel will be shifting in 1-2 weeks. I think Davis will be out anytime now. Who else?
--

[marthlois]

01:41 AM on 09/30/2008

OMG I'm so sick of seeing this arrogant UPPITY woman everywhere I turn! WITCH GO AWAY or I'll get
Sarah's Minister after you and he'll put his hands on you girly!

[Jules1]

01:31 AM on 09/30/2008

Her clothes are dumb, by the way I was reading that MSnbc cut some of Clintons talk about Obama and the really nice things he said about him that is par for the course, trying to cause friction...........

[cherlybear]

12:56 AM on 09/30/2008

She is a freaky looking chic...!

[shengirl]

12:54 AM on 09/30/2008

I can't stand that woman, she looks so conceited, she doesn't even try to act friendly. The Ice Queen.

[thinbluetorpedo]

12:39 AM on 09/30/2008

Are these people serious? Wow, incredible. Fox really is a propaganda network.