Waiting Eagerly for the Veeps

I'm excited for the Veep Debate tomorrow night. Much in the way that NASCAR fans are excited about the weekly races - sure the competition can be good, but the spectacular crashes are the real entertainment.

And oh do we have some potential disasters awaiting us in St. Louis ...

The expectations for the debate have been dramatically heightened (or lowered) by what seems like the longest interview ever: the Katie Couric interview of Sarah Palin that has come out ... drip, drip, drip ... slowly this week, each installment more flaberghasting than the prior. I need not link to them -- I'm sure you've already seen Gov. Palin meander through catch-phrases on her way to not answering a question, how she was unable to name a single newspaper and/or magazine that she reads, how other than Roe v Wade she can't think of a Supreme Court decision she disagrees with ... all of leads to exceedingly low expectations for her tomorrow night.

I don't think we're going to have any explosions tomorrow night. Nor any meltdowns. (Question: if Sarah Palin breaks down into tears, would it actually help her?)

Anyway, I'd like to see a real policy discussion (which I know won't happen), but here are some questions that I'd like to see answered:

• Dick Cheney has expanded the role of the Vice President in the past 8 years. What is your vision for the Office of the Vice President?


• The Vice President often visits foreign countries as an emissary of the Administration. What area of the world would you visit first, and what issues would you raise?


• Do you believe Guantanamo should be closed? If so, what would you do with the detainees currently held there?


• One of Dick Cheney's first acts as Vice President was to chair a meeting with energy leaders. He refused to make public the names of those he met with, a trend of secrecy which he continued through his terms. Do you think Cheney has been too secretive? Aside from military secrets, what information should be kept secret, and what kinds of information would you release to the public to maintain transparency and trust in the government?


• If Al Qaeda detonated a non-nuclear bomb in Washington, DC, what would be your administration's first course of action?


• China currently holds billions of dollars of US Treasury bonds. What would you do to ensure that they do not sell those bonds precipitously, causing the dollar to crash, especially during our current economic crisis?


• As President of the Senate, what would you do to restore bipartisanship and a sense of working for a common good in the Legislative Branch, and in the government as a whole?


• The Justice Department is in turmoil over politicized hiring and firing. What would your administration do to restore the Department?

I look forward to hearing at least some of those issues discussed tomorrow and in the upcoming Presidential debates. If not, maybe we'll be entertained by some spectacular high-speed collisions and gigantic fireballs.