Beyond the Dome

Now that we’ve all heard Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin give a speech, one thing is immediately clear: Joe Biden might not be able to walk away with the vice presidential debates in the way that many would have thought 24 hours ago.

It’s not that Biden can’t bury Palin with his knowledge of issues, especially on foreign policy. It’s that it might not be the smart thing to do.

Sure, Biden knows his stuff. As the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he can dive deep into the finer points of U.S. policy Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East, and pretty much anything else you care to name. Palin, with the help of her speechwriters, seemed to be stretching last night to drop in some national security references in her discussion of oil drilling: “With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.”

But because Biden knows his stuff, and all the players, there can be a bit of a show-off quality to his debating style. As a presidential candidate, Biden did perfect a blunt, no-bull style of discussing complicated issues, but the “look at all the foreign leaders I know” tone could still creep in from time to time. ” I heard the same arguments after I came back from meeting with Milosevic: We can’t act, we can’t send troops there,” Biden said during a discussion of the Darfur crisis at a July 2007 presidential debate.

And then there’s the self-righteousness. “The very thing everybody’s quoting is the very legislation I wrote in January. It said: Begin to draw down combat troops now; get the majority of the combat troops out by March of ‘08,” Biden said at the same debate. “There’s not one person in here that can say we’re going to eliminate all troops unless you’re going to eliminate every physical person who’s an American in Iraq. Tell the truth for a change.”

In those debates, Biden didn’t have to hold back. But if he pulls out all the stops with Palin, he could come off like Al Gore sighing into the microphone during his first debate with George W. Bush in 2000 — or even as an intimidating presence, like Rick Lazio charging up to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s podium during their New York Senate race the same year.

And yet, if Biden tries to cut out all references to his foreign policy experience, what’s the point of having a Foreign Relations Committee chairman on the Democratic ticket? And what’s the point of even having a vice-presidential debate — especially with someone as new to the national scene as Palin — if there’s no substance in it?

“It’s like trying to hit a moving target,” said Democratic strategist Michael Feldman. “He’s a formidable debater, he knows the issues inside and out, but it’s more than that. It’s about making connections, talking to people about what they care about, and drawing contrasts, all at the same time.”

“It was never going to be a lap for him,” said Feldman, “but now that she’s proven herself to be a good communicator and a fairly sympathetic personality, it’s going to be even harder.”

Feldman sad Biden will be on the safest ground if he can keep the debate on issues, rather than personalities. And Biden did show skill on the policy front during most of the Democratic debates, Feldman said, by explaining his views in down-to-earth terms and proving he can “deliver a punch, but with a velvet glove.”

When he debates Palin, that skill will be more important than ever. And if Biden can restrain himself from calling Palin “good looking” one more time, that would be even better.