With so much interest, on both sides of the isle, for the upcoming VP debate, everyone seems to have an opinion on how they'd like to see it play out.  Oddly enough, everyone seems to be saying the same thing: Biden can't be too rough on Palin, or he will come off looking like a jerk.  I respectfully disagree.  Somebody needs to shout, loudly, that the emperor has no clothes, and Biden is the guy to do it.  So long as the media (by not pointing out during an interview, for example, that she sounds like an idiot) and even Democrats (by saying Biden needs to treat her with kids gloves), continue to cast Palin as an equal, which she clearly is not, so long as this continues "undecideds", Independents and Republicans on the center-right, will continue to see her as a viable candidate and respect her.  Enough is enough.  It is time to end this game, and tonight is the perfect opportunity.

The question is, how?  I suggest Biden take his cue from comedians, and come out swinging . . .with a healthy dose of self-deprecation.  Biden is already a funny guy, and honest enough with himself to know that he has made mistakes, including some rather serious gaffs.  Highlight those, make some jokes at his own expense, be honest about his humanity, make it funny (and most importantly, natural), but back up the humor with serious examples of his abilities and policy.  Yeah, he's made some rather inane comments off-the-cuff, who hasn't?, but the man can speak competently on almost anything.  He’s not stupid, even though he occasionally says stupid things.

Starting off with a healthy dose of self-deprecation will accomplish two equally important goals:  1) it will help viewers to identify with him as a person, not just a candidate; in other words, it gets them on his side.  2) it sets the stage for the trouncing that is about to ensue.  Comedians know that self-deprecation lightens the mood to such an extent that you can get away with a lot without sounding in poor taste.  Calling Palin out on her crappy non-answers and sweeping generalizations, and pushing hard for specifics, will go over much easier with the audience if the audience sees him being rough on himself, first.

And he NEEDS to call her out.  Someone needs to put an end to the charade, and it needs to be very loud, and very public.  While Katie Couric is doing a great job surgically dismantling Palin, the surgery is so damn good, so subtle, that it leaves no scar.  Biden needs to leave a scar.  Palin needs to become “That Person” in High School.  You know, the one that everybody liked . . .right up until some embarrassing revelation or exposure, and after that their presence is poison.

We are not talking religion or politics here: Palin has not been in anyone's consciousness long enough to become indelible.  You trash a person’s religion they take it personally.  You trash their politics they take it personally.  You trash a secondary actor who has been in their consciousness for a few weeks . . . they forget they ever even liked Sarah Palin.  If Palin puts in a truly embarrassing performance and Biden lets that slide, people will forget the terrible performance.  But if he calls people’s attention to just how miserable she is, they will see the truth in that and subtly, over the course of a few days or maybe weeks, incorporate that truth as their own, and forget they ever saw her as a viable candidate.

So, how does Joe Biden pull this off?  Easy: just be himself.