Well, why not get an early start, hey?

Stage 1) Predictions, lamentations, eructations - let 'em fly.

Stage 2) Commentary, observation, outrage - speak up!

Stage 3) The after party - we'll be here all week.

Prediction:

Gov Palin will double kick Biden in the crotch and pants coming out of the block.

Gov Palin will look ten times more appealing to the Joe-Six-Pack crowd of viewers than Jod Biden.

Gov Palin will get all the religious-minded to fall in love with her and her pro-life position.

All catholics except for the most extreme catholics, will be converted to the PALIN DOCTRINE and henceforth make a dedicated vow at that moment in the debates to vote the McCain/Palin ticket and all the down tickets republican.

No More "Bejesus Gd America Wright Infested Teachings and Sermons" oozing out of the Obama campaign as represented by Biden.

Some comments: McCain was definitely better prepped than Obama. It may be somewhat related to McCain's cancellation feint, if Obama eased up a bit on the homework. But it tells me McCain's debate team is better than Obama's.

I expect Biden to definitely do a better job on Iraq than Obama did.

I expect Palin to have some great one-line zingers.

I think Joe likes Sarah, and Sarah likes everybody, so the body blows will be aimed at the other two guys.

I hope Fritz doesn't have a heart attack tonight.

Specifically--smoke-blowing, obfuscatory, "baffle-'em-with-bullshit" quadruple-speak. It's what she's been doing in interviews.

It's a sad testament to the collective American IQ when people can win elections via jocular ignorance delivered with a 'gotcha' smirk. I'm sure the McCain camp is thinking, "If it worked last time..."

I don’t see any reason why Palin can’t do a decent job in the debate. She has debated well in the past. She may suffer in the difference between running for Gov. of Alaska and running for VP of the US, and she may have a serious mistake or two on substance. But I’m more inclined to think she’ll make it through OK and boost herself and her ticket a bit.

The more important question is whether she can catch fire again like she did after the GOP convention, because that’s what the GOP ticket needs at this point. And I think it’s too late for that. At the convention, the delegates were starving for something to get enthusiastic about. And Palin filled that void. She soon experienced the kind of phenomenon that Obama experienced early in his campaign, i.e., the blank slate and the receptacle of the political hopes of millions among the party faithful. People start projecting all kinds of qualities and virtues that they desperately want that person to possess. And after that’s gone on for a while, then there’s some scrutiny, even among the faithful, to see if you’re worthy of carrying all of those hopes. The difference is that Obama has faced much of that scrutiny and largely passed through it favorably (though the ultimate test on that is Nov. 7th). And Palin has not held up to that scrutiny. Worse for her, McCain’s performance at the top of the ticket has been a major drag on the ticket. And even worse for both of them, Bush in the White House is the ball and chain that’s dragging them both down.

So in spite of whatever political talents and skills she has, the wall for her is too high to climb. In general, I see a similar dynamic as in the first Obama-McCain debate. Palin will throw jabs and try to get Biden into a scuffle, Biden will not take the bait, and whatever points Palin scores on style will be countered by Biden’s points on substance. And Palin’s points will be further undermined by the overriding credibility problem choking the GOP this year.

Taking into account the incredibly low expectations, Biden trying to not look like a bully, and Ifill bending over backwards to appear impartial, it will take a faux pas of epic proportion for Palin to drive herself into a ditch.

Prediction: About 25 minutes into the debate, Palin's camp will release an enraged bull moose to charge the stage. She will quickly level her shotgun and down the moose with 2 blasts, barely saving Senator Biden's life.

The irony of her capturing, staging, killing and gutting on television the symbol of Teddy Roosevelt's brand of republicanism will be lost on everyone except for Dan Rather.

That whole ‘it worked last time thing’—it never works twice.

OK.

1. It won’t change anybody’s minds. She’ll come off as likable for those who are looking for someone who shares ‘their regular person values’ and he’ll come off as intelligent and informed—which many people hate.

2. Best likely line will be from Biden: “You didn’t say thanks but no thanks—you just said thanks and kept the money—it’s why you represent more of the same.”

3. The bailout will dominate; the challenge will be to make it sound like what it is—credit so the economy can function instead of bailouts for malfeasant bankers and consumers (because it’s not). Palin will come off better at this because most people still think it’s welfare for greedy execs.

4. The debate won’t matter. The economic stress will. And it benefits Obama. That coupled with the unmeasured scope of his support (non-traditional information consumers, web 2.0, facebook, Colbert report instead of news or debates) swings election his way.

5. That doesn’t matter either unless someone figures out a way to tell their party to fuck off and pay down the deficit (think Clinton) which means this stuff we’re buying for $700 billion had better be illiquid instead of insolvent and worth something again as Obama heads for re-election so they can be used to pay down the deficit.

Stage 1) She'll be caught using a hidden wire, not just suspected but caught. Like when Mitt Romney's "magic voice" was picked up by the PA system, remember?

Oh, sorry. I guess I should wait for the debate to start.

LMAO!

Hey, can I call you Joe?

Oh dear...

and playing Palin Bingo!

Reform, Reform, Reform, Reform.

That pretty much sums up Palin's first few statements. Not much meat there.

answered that last question."

+1 for Gwen.