Or so argues Alan Schroeder, author of Presidential Debates: Fifty-Years of High Risk TV. His analysis, posted with the Columbia University Press blog, of the shorted discussion period in the Biden/Palin VP debate notes the untenable position it placed the moderator and ultimately voters.
Quick read - late night version: Wow - this was, or at least seemed like, a fast paced, almost frantic debate. Although I initially thought that the words per minute would be substantially greater in this 90 minutes than in the 90 minutes of the first presidential debate, it turns out that we heard only about 600 more words from the VP debate.
Joe Biden was superb, turning in a debate performance for the ages. Given the dangers that lurked for him in this debate, this is no understatement. Sarah Palin prevented calamity or as former Bush administration official, Matthew Dowd put it, she "survived" the "death spiral." So who won?
More beneath the fold...
Barack Obama should replace Senator Joe Biden with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. He would appeal to the West and bring credibility on Energy, one of American top issues.
You may be saying, "Who?" How can someone I've have never heard of be seriously considered. Montana? You got to be kidding.
Of course, I'm not serious, but for months many in the political establishment seriously entertained an Obama/Schweitzer ticket. One liberal blog reported "Brian Schweitzer is among the names mentioned most often as a possibility for the vice presidential slot on an Obama ticket," and he was.
His popularity garnered a prime Denver convention spot and a pending invitation for Democratic Senator Tom Harkin's (Iowa) "steak fry," a sign of arrival in party politics. In 2005 the lead-guest was John Edwards, followed a year later, Barack Obama.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Schweitzer is ready to be President.* But the seriousness of his consideration was seldom questioned in the press. The New York Times ran an extended Schweitzer feature in their Sunday magazine and published his editorial on the future of energy policy.
I raise the Schweitzer comparison not to diminish the serious demands that Palin demonstrate nominal expertise to be president, but expectation may create an unfair playing field. Her experience quotient has been situated so low as to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Any hint that she has a knowledge deficit will be a big-hit gaffe, satisfying the prevailing narrative.
Expectations for Schweitzer and Palin after the fold
There will be hundreds of previews for Thursday's VP debate, most wondering how to make Joe Biden less effusive and Sarah Palin appear less vacuous. Many reviews will speculate on the prerequisites for being a heartbeat-away.
Newsweek's Howard Fineman, interviews Democrat Bob Shrum (prepped John Kerry in 2004) and Republican Stuart Stevens (adviser for Cheney), providing a more substantive entry into the hype sweepstakes.
My takeaway is that the VP debates need a theme reflecting themselves, and that their primary job is to not talk about themselves, but become the salesman for the top of the ticket. In this sense, Palin and Biden's task is an easier one, celebrating someone else is usually simpler than bragging about yourself.
Variety's comments are just out, not meant as shameless self-promotion - smile.
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