Vice Presidential Debate: Sarah Palin's Final Showdown?

The vice presidential debate on Thursday Night at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, is supposed to be focused around the current domestic and foreign policies facing America today.

The economy, the Iraq War, the bailout, Pakistan and Afghanistan will be the major topics, moderated by Gwen Ifill, that each candidate will have to be proficient in, to withstand bad reviews from both the public and the news media, following the debate.

Joe Biden has been in the Senate since 1972. He has been a member of the Foreign Relations Committee since 1975. He has been a voice for fighting terrorism, drugs and crime. He is the author of the Violence against Women Act and has been an advocate for children for many years.

Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska, First Term, and is a staunch conservative. Her accomplishments in Alaska include some oil company reform and cutting the budget, while remaining the largest benefactor of earmarks and pork barrel projects in the country. Sarah Palin doesn't seem to have a lot going for her in terms of her public display.

The competition of this debate is overwhelming. Joe Biden is experienced and well versed on what he thinks and what direction he feels we should go in. I think he views on the economy and all of the other subjects will be in total agreement with Barack Obama.

Joe Biden has been in government for many years, true... However, his devotion to remaining outside of Washington has rang true also. A man who rode the train his entire life with you and I, but has worked in Washington just like the ones who live large. His many years with few bad decisions in the Senate seem to speak for themselves to his opinion and potential answers in the debate.

Joe Biden's potential weak point in this debate will be his sometimes unbridled tongue. When he gets fired up and committed to stating his opinion, he tends to get excited and his stop switch seems broken. This is something that he will be well advised to keep in control during this all important debate.

Sarah Palin is a wild card in this debate. Because of the press she has had to date, I think this is going to be exceptionally challenging for her. She hasn't been sure to date about exactly what her foreign policy will be. She has contradicted herself a few times on her position. We aren't sure if she will bomb Pakistan or not?

Her feelings on Russia that she will probably have to answer for in this debate are not clear either. We know that because Alaska is sandwiched between two foreign countries she feels she knows how to deal with it. We will see how she really feels on foreign policy on Thursday.

The question of domestic issues are another can of worms for Sarah Palin. With such limited interviews and interviews that no one really could understand, we aren't sure if she knows what the question is here.

Both candidates are going to have to be sharp and very straightforward with the American People. America is expecting the truth, not politics.