Some pre-debate thoughts

I’ve been reflecting on Sarah Palin this afternoon.  Given that the overboard reaction to her elevation to the Republican ticket is partly what made me put myself back on the fence for this election, what is it that I hope to learn this evening?
Well… coming off her interviews with Katie Couric, the first thing I’m wondering is whether she knows enough about the issues of the day to talk about them coherently.  But along with that, I’ll be looking for depth behind her answers.   Glossy smiles and quips won’t provide that, and if that’s what she delivers, I’ll be left wondering — still — what it is she brings to the political equation.
Will she be asked about her social conservatism as it relates to public policy?  Does she have a clear view of her role in a McCain administration?  What does she think about how Congress is handling the bailout?
The questions they could ask are endless.  Some of them are critical.
I have to say, though — never has a debate candidate had to clear such a low bar.  Between the McCain campaign’s bubble-wrapping and her disastrous interview(s), if she manages to impart even a hint that she grasps the basics — even if that grasp is superficial — then she’ll have met the standard set.  Pretty poor reflection on the state of affairs, eh?
But I also think the odds are about 50-50 that she’s going to blow this badly, in large part because there’s only this one shot at it.  The pressure will be enormous.
One way or another, we’re going to learn rather a lot about Sarah Palin tonight.
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Oh!  Almost forgot to mention Joe Biden.  He’s kind of an asterisk tonight, don’t you think?