Joe's Debate Strategy

I'd also add that Joe has to be careful not to make his own serious slip, though his are just silly and not based on being dim witted or uninformed or over his head.

Politico: If Sarah Palin goofs, flounders, stumbles or blunders during her debate against Joe Biden on Thursday night, Biden is going to let it slide.

“If she makes a gaffe, he underplays it,” one of the people prepping Biden for his vice presidential debate told me. “At most, he says, ‘I am not sure what Gov. Palin meant there.’”

There are three reasons for this. First, Biden does not want to look condescending. For the same reason, he plans on referring to Palin as “Gov. Palin” during the debate and never as “Sarah.” (He will sometimes refer to John McCain as “John,” however, because they have been senators together for many years.)

Second, Biden knows the press is going to pounce on any mistakes, and so he does not need to.

Third, and most important, Sarah Palin is not Biden’s true target.

“Joe Biden’s No. 1 job during the vice presidential debate is to keep the focus on the top of the ticket,” the Biden debate prepper told me. “He is going to keep the focus on John McCain."

Strategy talk for Biden and Palin

McCain Insists on Easier Debate for Palin

McCain is at least a gentleman. He agreed to a tougher debate format for the presidential debates in exchange for an easier format for the Unqualified One. Has anyone ever seen Joe when he gets going? I want him fighting for me. Check out the videos below.
Here's the debate schedule.

NYT: The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive. read more on the debate strategy.

Biden gets feisty. Biden will need to be reined in so that Palin gets time to speak and show how unqualified she is.

Here Biden is attacking Bush on the Iraq War

Granholm Gets Biden Ready for Debate

This is going to be the most watched debate ever. Here's the debate schedule.

CNN:Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has been tapped to help Joe Biden as he prepares to take on GOP rival Sarah Palin in the upcoming vice presidential debate.

Granholm will spend four days helping Biden sharpen his skills before he faces off with Palin October 2.

At a fundraiser Tuesday night, Biden told supporters debating Palin would be tricky.

“Folks look, I know what she’s going to try to do. She’s going to try to make it as personal as she can. She’s going to take a lot of straight lefts and jabs at me, she’s going to try to get me to respond, she’s going to try to get me to respond in a personal way," Biden said. "That’s not my style. I’m not going to do it.”