Biden vs. Palin: Preview of the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate

The debate against Joe Biden and Sarah Palin on Thursday, October 2, will find each VP candidate at the top of the game, selling his and her party's promises. Three probable issues to be disputed are the war in Iraq, the energy issue, and the nation's current economic crisis.

Vice Presidential Debate: The War in Iraq

The war in Iraq has been ongoing since 2003 and could be ended by the newly-elected president and vice president.

Biden is going to assure the American people that his administration plans to withdraw all troops by the Summer of 2010, while promising to continue an aggressive diplomatic outreach to aid the refugees in Iraq. Biden will state he and Obama will spend money at home, not in Iraq, to increase homeland security.

Palin is going to assert that immediate withdrawal from Iraq is not the answer and will criticize any democratic votes to stop funding the Iraq war. She will proclaim that to keep America safe from another attack on our soil, the war in Iraq needs to be just that: IN IRAQ. She may also bring up Biden's contradictory record on the issue and accuse him of telling people what they want to hear.

Vice Presidential Debate: Energy

Turmoil throughout the United States has reared itself with more fervor than ever, making energy one of the hottest domestic issues for the race to the White House in 2008.

Biden is likely to attack the McCain/Palin ticket for its eagerness to tap into America's reserves. He will talk about increasing fuel economy standards and promote the creation of "green collar" jobs. He will also need to answer: does the Obama/Biden team support domestic drilling or not?

Palin will voice her clear favor of drilling in ANWAR and promise to be a key player in developing, among others, Alaska's natural resources to decrease America's reliance on foreign oil. Palin will probably cite the Lexington Project, her party's plan for energy dependence by 2025.

Vice Presidential Debate: Economic Crisis

President Bush has recently addressed the nation and surmised that our nation is having an economic crisis of epic proportions that each new administration will have to immediately address when it enters the White House.

Biden will criticize the McCain ticket for calling the fundamentals of the economy 'sound.' He will do all that he can to liken McCain/Palin to Bush and bash the Republican economic policy.

Palin will question the Obama/Biden solution to increase taxes for the $250K-plus sector of the population and state that increasing taxes and/or spending is the wrong answer for this weak economy. She will brag how McCain took a time-out from the campaign to fight for his fellow Americans regarding the bailout proposal: he is already helping push through a bipartisan measure.

To win over the many undecided voters who will be watching, Biden needs to beware of the gaffes he is prone to utter and avoid them. He also needs to be calm and stay away from bulldog-like attacks directed to Palin's character while prodding her to give factual answers that prove her knowledge and experience. Palin needs to play her strong cards, like her energy, executive experience, and bipartisan record to win over voters on the fence.

She must focus on brevity when answering questions, while making a clear distinction between McCain and Bush. The 2008 Vice Presidential Debate will be one for the ages, so a less than stellar performance from either Biden or Palin could be a death-blow to his or her party.