Palin Debate Expectations

As the much-ballyhooed vice presidential debate approaches, the anticipation of the event has nearly everyone in politics dispensing their two cents. ...

Palin seems to have done well enough in her gubernatorial debates but that's not because the format suited her better. It's because the debates weren't about national or international affairs.

What if, midway through, Palin is doing okay, or better than okay? If you're Joe Biden, are you going to just sit there and let her play you to a draw - or beat you? On the biggest stage Biden has ever been on, is he going to let himself get shown up by someone everybody knows is an idiot? Or does Biden get agitated, and start looking for opportunities to attack, to pin Palin down, to put her in her place? If Biden stops playing it safe, all bets are off. He might be brilliant, but things might also go horribly wrong.

As a result of her alarming interviews, doing better than expectations is no longer the bar for Palin. That ship has long passed. She must convince Americans that she won't destroy America.