BIDEN vs. PALIN….Nancy Gibbs, like many other people, wonders how Sarah Palin is going to do against Joe Biden on Thursday night:
With Charlie Gibson the waters were smooth if shallow; with Katie Couric she seemed forever at risk of drowning in her own syntax. But if she’s growing less surefooted with each passing day of cramming, who can blame her, when the highly experienced Republican pols around her don’t seem to trust her to talk past her talking points….All I know is that with each passing day, Palin’s road gets harder, the expectations higher, the margin for error smaller.
No kidding. But there’s a flip side to this too: it takes a lot of pressure off Biden. When Palin was first nominated, pundits fell all over themselves to advise Biden to watch his tongue when he faced Palin in debate. Don’t look like a bully! Don’t be sarcastic! Don’t talk down to her!
Well, guess what? It turns out he doesn’t need to. Attacking Palin — all the while worrying about whether this attack is too much or that attack will turn off women — is completely unnecessary. Biden just needs to show up, talk normally, and wait for her to implode. That’s got to be a relief, no?
