The Greatest Show on Earth?

I'm really looking forward to Thursday night's Vice-Presidential debate between Senator Joseph Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. I wonder if the topics will turn into a scene from the movie Speed?

"Pop quiz hotshot! You're the president. There's a passenger jet flying over the Atlantic for the U.S. with deadly nerve gas on board. What do you do?"

(Sorry, had to borrow that situation from Executive Decision. Hollywood is better at coming up with doomsday scenarios that I am)

But the most fascinating presidential election in my lifetime took another unlikely turn Wednesday when it became common knowledge that moderator Gwen Ifill's impartiality is being called into question.

Questioning the Questioner. Sounds like a tease for next episode of Doctor Phil.

Ifill is writing a book that is pre-selling already on Amazon.com for $16.47. The title is The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.

Here's the description of the book from Amazon.com:

In THE BREAKTHROUGH, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.

THE BREAKTHROUGH is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy.

"I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news, so I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation," Ifill said in a story by The Associated Press. "They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job."

So is Ifill going to be impartial as she questions Governor Palin and Senator Biden in St. Louis tonight?

I'm searching for the word to describe my take on the issue. Troubled or disturbed is too strong a term for me to use here.

But we live in a very polarized, hyper-sensitive nation when it comes to politics and this makes me wince just a bit. So many of us have a thorn in our paw that gets pushed with each development on the campaign trail. Those reactions are fueled faster thanks to talk radio, cable TV news and the internet.

I don't really buy the complaints from some that an Obama victory increases the sales of Ifill's book, thus giving her a financial stake in which of the candidates fares best in Thursday night's debate.

The Associated Press story says Ifill's work on Breakthrough was noted by Time in August and it was mentioned in a September 4 interview with The Washington Post.

Ifill says she didn't tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about the book and we don't know what the commission has to say. There was no comment in the AP story and their website doesn't mention the matter.

Ifill will also reportedly have a more influential role in the debate because this showdown will feature less interaction between the candidates.

A Rasmussen Reports survey found 76% of those polled though Ifill's PBS colleague Jim Lehrer was neutral in his handling of last Friday's debate between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

I thought it was a little odd that someone even thought to take such a survey.

Now, I think polls will focus on the performers on stage Thursday night: Sarah Palin, Joe Biden and Gwen Ifill.