While certainly all eyes (including mine) will be on how Sarah Palin performs against Joe Biden's extensive foreign policy experience in tomorrow's vice presidential debate, I'm counting on the Democratic candidate for the entertainment. There's no telling what he might say - maybe something along the lines of, "You cannot go into a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent"? Maybe he'll remind us that "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America"? Or perhaps he'll continue to damage his own running mate's campaign by contradicting it directly through the claim that "we're not supporting clean coal". Hey, I'd even enjoy hearing one of his more baffling comments, like the statement that his wife having a doctorate is "a problem". I hope, though, that he can refrain from asking a paraplegic man to stand up for all to recognize. It is fortunate that debates, by their nature, are unscripted - I'd hate to see Biden have to forfeit his vice presidential run due to plagiarizing the speech of a British politician. All in all, I'm looking forward to Biden being Biden - and glad that it will be on national television, for all to see. (This, of course, Biden can liken to FDR's television appearance in 1929. Oops.)

Since it can be difficult to discern sarcasm in print, let me just explicitly state that I am not being sarcastic about being entertained, plain and simple. Before all the die-hard Biden fans out there attack me with comments galore and eager defenses, let me just emphasize my genuineness - I think he's a hoot! In the words of Nancy Pelosi (although in all seriousness, I don't agree with her brushing off Biden's awkward joke about his wife), "lighten up!" When you believe, as I do, that this election is about choosing the lesser of two evils, there is a serious need for some comic relief. And although Stephen Colbert is helpful, he is no substitute for the candidates themselves - one of whom, might I add, has visited 57 states, with one more to go.

I am not trying to make a joke of this presidential race. I am, in reality, quite concerned for the future of our nation, and the more I read, the more depressing it all seems - and not because "my" candidate will more than likely lose. If we believe that either candidate is truly flawless, perfectly suited to lead our nation, we are fooling ourselves. Biden has the credentials to be vice president, and I am not trying to minimize that, although I disagree with his political opinions. McCain has strong credentials for the position of president, and I disagree with him less often, although he is far from ideal. Obama is lacking experience and decisive answers, but he seems to have a nation hypnotized with his rhetoric. Palin is equally lacking experience, a fact I will readily acknowledge, although I like her stances on a number of issues. Why is it that so many people are so hesitant to admit the fallibility of their candidate? What entertains me about gaffes is the seriousness with which others try to defend them and point to the humanness of the speaker.

These are troubling times. No doubt we are in the midst of partisanship at its ugliest - even Obama, who claims to embrace a kind of post-partisanship ideology, stated in a recent interview regarding the economic bailout, "I don't think me calling House Republican members would have been that helpful, I tend not to be that persuasive on that side of the aisle." And in the spirit of these partisan times, the vice presidential debate will undoubtedly carry with it another round of mudslinging. No, I'm not referring to the candidates - I'm referring to the voters. Perhaps I haven't experienced too many presidential elections - I've only been of voting age for three of them, if that makes me young - but I have never seen such abasement among voters. While I respect the low opinion you may have of your least favorite candidate, proclaiming that a voter with a view opposed to yours must have less than half a brain seems entirely uncalled for. Attack the issues, but don't propagate the idea that all of intelligent, thinking America agrees with you. I have heard numerous people say that they will leave the country if McCain is elected - and I say to you, please don't. If "dissent is the highest form of patriotism," then it would be a shame for you to abandon ship if the democratic process leaves you unsatisfied. In the more likely scenario that Obama becomes our next commander-in-chief, I will not leave, and I dislike his politics more than most. The thought of him leading a nation fills me with dread - and that is why, at times, it seems appropriate to embrace the lighter side of politics.