SNL: VP Debate Spoof

She Winks, She Smiles, She Flirts, She Plans to Change the Constitution

Things that made me wonder during the VP debate...

• In the past Gov. Sarah Palin has been criticized for repeatedly commenting that she can see Russia from her house in Alaska (see The New Yorker cover above) so I would think she would really want to get her foreign policy stuff right. Does she know that the top American commander in Afghanistan is Gen. David D. McKiernan and is not "McClellan" as she says in the debate?
• Palin likes to wink a lot. Does Palin suffer from an eye twitch?
• Palin ignored the questions moderator Gwen Ifill asks and instead looks directly into the camera and delivers one canned line after another. 
  
• When Palin says over and over "darn right" or "you betcha" I wondered if this is really how she learned to talk in a debate? At this week's debate camp was she coached on folksy expressions?
• Where exactly is "Eye-ran?"
• She has said that Iran must not even be allowed to have nuclear energy. But isn't Iran a member of the IAEA and a signatory to the NPT? 
• She called Iran's President Ahmadinejad "insane." Why did she also repeated mispronounce his name? (She says it incorrectly with a K sound exactly like McCain says it too.)
• Did she ever answer the questions moderator Gwen Ifill asked. Oh yeah, I asked that before.
• Why did Palin say Biden's college teacher wife will "get her reward in heaven" when she knows that Biden's first wife died tragically in a car accident.
• Palin was well-rehearsed. She avoided the use of "um" or "uh." But she didn't seem to be thinking on her feet and responding to a question.
• Does the McCain energy plan really just boil down to "Drill, Baby, drill?" 
• Is Palin too power hungry for the VP slot? Palin mentioned that she wanted to take a new look at the US Constitution and make some revisions specifically in Articles I and II that are explicit in enumerating and limiting the powers of the Executive, including the Vice President.

There She Goes Again

I'm old enough to remember the debate when President Carter offered a long list of statistics and with perfect timing Ronald Reagan commented, "There he goes again." I'm not a fan of Reagan, but his ability to charm the audience was impressive.

Will Sarah Six-Pack Palin be able to charm voters in her debate tonight with Joe Biden? I expect tonight's debate will have a few surprises. It won't be as scripted as debates in the past. Each candidate has the potential to make blunders. In my opinion, no one really wins the debate, but someone always loses.

Will Biden be able to control his long winded banter? Will Palin provide more material for SNL writers? 

Biden will be able answer any question. No worries there. He knows his stuff--even the political and personal trivia Palin struggled with such as financial regulation, Supreme Court decisions and favorite newspapers. I am more concerned that he will be too nice. You know, that whole gender issue. Even with the best intentions, Biden will have to balance being tough on Palin and not taking a patronizing attitude.

Not so sure about one moose-hunting hockey mom from Alaska. She's full of surprises. And based on her many gaffes in recent interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. I'm guessing instead answering questions she'll just offer generalities. Call it flip flop journalism. Palin benefits when instead of answering the question asked, she answers a question she wants to answer. And she'll be praying for divine intervention in her favor. 

If Palin keeps that sunny smile going, you might be tempted to excuse her biting comments. The same comments made by Hillary would be unfairly called "bitchy," but somehow Palin keeps the sun shining even in a thunderstorm.

Will this hockey mom win the game? With all her previous mistakes made so publicly on the network news, our expectations are pretty low. Oh yeah. She is a hockey mom and hockey moms don't like to lose.