VP Debate: More Sarah and Less Joe?

Bedtime at the Cunningham household for me is 8:00pm with those early morning news hours.

However, I just may have to set my DVR to record Thursday night’s Vice Presidential debate between Democratic Senator Joseph Biden and Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The only notable Vice Presidential debate I can remember was Lloyd Bentsen’s dressing down of Dan Quayle (“You are no Jack Kennedy”) 20 years ago.

But this debate will be different.

And I expect this will be more interesting than the two remaining John McCain-Barack Obama showdowns.

America is still trying to figure out who Governor Palin is with fewer than 40 days to go before it’s your turn - at last - to decide this race.

A quick check of The Los Angeles Times website shows that even with a financial crisis grabbing headlines, the numbers one, three and eight most e-mailed stories are about Palin.

Governor Palin is also the most frequently searched keyword by online readers of The New York Times.

But Palin remains a mystery, in part, because we went so long without hearing her answer questions after her surprise nomination. News conferences have not been part of Palin’s campaign schedule, but she has been doing more interviews with established network news anchors.

And is CBS’s Katie Couric Palin’s BMF (Best Media Friend)? They appear to talk almost daily.

Some believe that Palin has been too handled by the McCain campaign staff and they need to back off. The call, including this column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is let Sarah be Sarah.

Senator Biden has been campaigning, but he reportedly only has around a dozen reporters trailing his rounds on the trail. Biden’s had some rough moments recently with several gaffes as noted by a Newsweek blog.

The pundits I have heard seem to excuse Biden miscues - like saying Franklin Roosevelt was President of the United States when the stock market crashed in 1929 and he went on television to explain it to the nation - by saying that’s “just Joe being Joe.“

The New York Times reports Though an Experienced Debater, Biden Is Often Tripped Up by Spontaneity. Biden making gaffes has been mentioned since Obama picked him to join the ticket.

So Thursday night at 9:00pm (on News Channel 7, shameless plug alert!) it will be Palin and Biden.

Two podiums. One moderator. No media handlers. No timeouts. No lifelines.

I can’t wait.

CBS News anchor Katie Couric talks with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

Biden and Barack Obama talk to CBS News 60 Minutes