Obama camp: Palin 'one of the best'

by James Oliphant

ST. LOUIS--In sports, you try to pump up your team before a game.

In politics--at least in the debating arena--you pump up your opponent.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe spared nothing Thursday in his praise of Sarah Palin, who will be debating tonight for the Republican ticket, not his. Palin, he suggested, is some sort of Caribou Cicero.

"Governor Palin is one of the best debaters in American politics," Plouffe told the press corps traveling to St. Louis for tonight's event.

"I've watched all of her debates; she is an extremely good debater," Plouffe said. "We expect she'll have very, witty biting lines that she'll get off tonight. All of you that are like figure skating judges will give her some credit for that. But we think the American people who are watching at home tonight who are economically challenged who are fundamentally unhappy with the direction of this country, Joe Biden will do a very good job speaking to them."

One was tempted to ask whether Biden should show up at all.

In other words, Plouffe was saying that the press and the public shouldn't be distracted by the zingers.

"But our focus is on the person sitting at home, in Kent Ohio tonight, in Akron Ohio tonight," Plouffe said, "if he is struggling economically, who is delivering the message about an agenda that will most positively impact their lives and deliver the kind of change the country so desperately needs?"

At least the Democrats are staying on message about how terrific a debater Palin is. The Republicans, as evidenced by today's ad portraying Biden as a gaffe-prone wind machine, have had expectations falling and rising like the Dow Industrial Average.