“He is unshackled,” New York’s John Heilemann said on NOW With Alex Wagner today of Vice-President Joe Biden’s preparation for his Thursday-night debate against Paul Ryan. Unlike the debates four years ago when the Obama campaign was concerned Biden might come off too mean against Sarah Palin, Heilemann said this week’s one and only VP debate would be strong and substantive. In 2008, “they had to prepare him for Palin by saying ‘Don’t condescend to her, don’t come across as Frank Sinatra on a Vegas lounge stage, don’t treat her like an idiot, don’t treat her like a girl,’” — it was a debate all about holding back. One can only hope a truly unshackled Biden delivers the opposite of some of those ‘08 no-nos on Thursday night.
