The Candidates' Keys to the Debate

Biden:

1. Be nice, and not condescending, towards Palin.  If she's going to implode, let her do it on her own.
2. Give concise, relatively simple answers.  Don't overdo it.
3. Make the "blue collar" case for Obama as only you can.
4. Tie Palin - and McCain - to Bush.  Bush/McCain/Palin - hammer this home over and over again.
5. Be funny and folksy.  You're great when you're funny and folksy.

Palin:

1. Make it at least appear that you have some knowledge of what you're talking about.  Don't worry, the bar is very low.
2. Define what your role in a McCain administration would be.
3. Prove that you actually know what foreign policy is.  You can finally put an end to all the jokes about seeing Russia from your house.
4. Assert that you and McCain are the ones who represent real change.
5. Paint Obama/Biden as scary big-spending socialist communist Marxist anti-American LIBERALS!!!