They’re always journalists! DUH!
Every answer Palin will give will be a memorized stump speech, which may or may not have anything to do with the question asked.
No one can convince me that when the McCain campaign picked her they didn’t expect to have her secluded for over a month. The only conclusion I can draw is that she is much slower on the uptake than anyone suspected. The press, including Fox News, is in an open revolt over their lack of access to her, but the McCain campaign would rather have that then allow her to be questioned.
Given the nearly complete media blackout by the McCain campaign regarding Palin, any competent journalist would be professionally obligated (if not compelled) to ask tough questions, personal bias notwithstanding. The outrage would be any nerfball treatment of either candidate.
As an aside, the after-debate spin that will be generated will likely strip the earth of all vegetation and destroy the ozone layer.
Tomatoes and Potatoes
I am really hoping for something along the lines of “Governor, I served with Hillary Clinton, I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. Governor, you are no Hillary Clinton.” 
The McCain campaign has really pushed to restrict the rules so as to allow as little room for improvisation, surprise or direct exchange between candidates as possible. They just want to script her answers as tightly as possible and cut off any opportunity for follow up or challenge. They tried to rule out any direct exchange between the candidates at all, but had to settled for a shortened period of discussion after they give initial answers.
If Ifill presses Palin on non-responsive or generic answers to questions (like if she tries to side-step the BTN question again or says how proud she is of our troops when asked how she would implement an exit strategy from Iraq), the McCain camp will accuse her (Ifill) of bias and sexism.
The importance of debates is probably overrated. data from the last several elections show that they seldom change the polls more than a point or two. I think people watch them basically like football games. They have their side and they root for their side. All you can really do is try to hold your own serve, script a zinger or two and hope for the other person to say or do something stupid.
Indeed -
Probability of hearing a viewer respond, “Hmm, that was an interesting response. I hadn’t considered that point” = near zero.
Probability of hearing a viewer respond, “OH SNAP!” = 100%
I expect that Palin will present herself well, she is attractive, direct, and has experience as an on-camera sportscaster (shades of Reagan).
Biden, on the other hand…is Biden. He may be knowledgable and experienced, but just hasn’t mastered the performance aspects of campaigning.
The wisest tactic for Biden would be to basically ignore Palin and aim all his attacks directly at McCain. They can’t accuse him of sexism if he only rips the shit out of McCain.
I was thinking just that during Joe’s big speech today. Hope he does it.
Really, I feel that the best way to go about this is to play super conservative (not ideologically but rhetorically). Just get Joe to go in and present his case without attacking her. If she doesn’t say any outright bullshit then leave her alone.
That’s the way this game is played. You don’t rock the boat when you’re ahead. It would be more advantageous for Obama if there were no VP debate.
Then you have to deal with the expectations game. It has already started to some extent but all you hear is about how Joe Biden is going to mop the floor with her. That’s not how you want to go into a debate, now is it? You want to overcome expectations. Joe will have to meet his expectations.
Obama’s got the economy and a host of other things on his side right now. He’s up and doesn’t need to score more points.
Even though you’re right about how both sides typically try to downplay expectations and that the usual conventional wisdom about who’s going to get their ass handed to them is almost always overstated (these things are so controlled that real, hardcore ass-kickings are almost impossible), I do think that this might be a case where the conventional expectations are fairly justified. There really is a giant gap in personal knowledge and experience between these two that is not just a media contrivance. There is a legitimate disparity between these two opponents which is atypical for these debates. Biden really can dominate her on pure substance. He doesn’t have to hope for a gaffe or zing her with a one-liner. He actually does know more than she does.
Siidebar
The House hearing on the Bailout is on CSPAN3
Carry on.
Should Biden demand a pre-debate pat-down of Palin, looking for communication devices?
All I remember is his “you’re no Jack Kennedy” line, and while it was a gotcha moment, it really had no substance. No debate in the last 20 plus years has had any substance. The candidates are rehearsed to the max, and are coached to avoid crazy mistakes.
However, Biden is a bit of a loose cannon, and Palin seems fiesty enough to throw caution to the wind. But, I can see a slew of questions being thrown at Palin hoping she gets some minor historical fact wrong, and she probably will, and I’m sure that Biden already has a one-liner that he plans to use that will fall as flat as a pancake. It will be interesting…
John Edwards/Dick Cheney may have made a slight difference in 2004. Edwards bringing up Cheney’s lesbian daughter backfired on him big time.
Not only that, he should call for volunteers from the audience. 
Am I the ONLY one hoping for a “You’re no Jack Kennedy” moment to include some reference along the lines of Bell Biv Devoe’s Poison?
“In deference to you, missy, you con’t trust a big butt and a smile.”
Sure they will. Since when have Republicans concerned themselves with basic logic? After all, to them, Obama is the elitist.
Frankly, I don’t see how Biden being aggressive would be bad. If he does it while just being an ass, then yeah, that could be bad.
But really, he needs to accentuate the fact that she doesn’t know what the heck is going on. If he trounces all over her, it will help show what a poor choice she is.
Just stay away from personal life stuff and all will be well.
Sure, it’s Daily Kos reporting it, but apparently McCain staffers are scared shitless of Palin’s inability to handle a mock debate and a mock press conference, calling her clueless.