By Bill Plante
"So how do you think Palin will do in a head-to-head with Biden?'' I asked Big Freddy as he waved to the waitress with his empty coffee cup.
"That's not the question,'' Freddy said. "The question is what is Biden to do about going head-to-head with her without turning off the women out there who think she's great''
"Well, not all women think she's great,'' I said.
"True, and some of them are either going to sit this out because they have a mad on about Hillary getting stiffed in the run up, or vote for McCain,'' Freddy said. "When push comes to shove, most of them will stay with Obama.
"But that's not where McCain's going with Palin. There are lots of Palins out there who have had to hardscrabble their way to an education and juggle raising a family with going to work wherever from nine to five. She's not only done that, she's done it straight up from being a small-town mayor to governor while taking on her own party's bad boys.''
"Which does not make her qualified to be vice president of the United States,'' I said.
"It makes her qualified to slug it out, which is what Biden is up against,'' Freddy said. "He could slug away if McCain had picked a man as his running mate; it's riskier to go after her the same way.''
"Biden's too smart for that,'' I said, "but he could still tie her in knots because she's grass green in terrain he's been cultivating for years.''
"Biden has loose lips,'' Freddy said, "and loose lips can sink ships, including your own. He gets carried away when he gets on a high in debates because a man of a few words he's not.''
"He's also a skilled lawyer with plenty of experience in government, and she's a rookie who has made a big name for herself in a state with probably more polar bears and caribou than people,'' I said.
"But she's fresh on the scene," Freddy said. "She speaks to the dreams of a lot of women. She's bright, young, tough and made-for-TV.''
"But how much shelf life does she have for the run-up to the convention?'' I asked.
"If the TV marketers have only her and Biden to yackety yack about, not much,'' Freddy said. "But you remember Obama and McCain? They're the ones running for president; there's less than two months to go, Biden and Palin are going to be a sideshow most of the time, and the hatchet men in both parties will be whacking away between Obama and McCain.''
"Because it works,'' I said.
"TV lives on 'Let's you and him fight,'" Freddy said. "Strategists know everything there is to know about firing up whatever. You have debates the way we've had in the past; it's all about 'gotcha' questions from TV and newspaper sharpshooters and headlines the next day. You have just the two candidates standing there with only a timekeeper to go at it in a proper one-on-one debate. What have you got?''
"You've got what McCain wants and Obama doesn't,'' I said, "but I'll bet Biden would love it against Palin.''
"What you'd have is a nervous breakdown from the pros out there,'' Freddy said. "It's plan, baby, plan, and stick to the script. Bait the traps. It's show-and-tell time, but don't show or tell too much.''
"But Obama's a trained lawyer, bright as they come, and McCain's a maverick.''
"McCain's an old fighter pilot,'' Freddy said, "and he's been in Congress seven times longer than Obama. He knows from one-on-one combat. These next eight weeks are going to be no time for either Obama or Biden to go one-on-one with either McCain or Palin. But enjoy, because it's going to be better than somewhat.''
Bill Plante is a Newbury resident and staff columnist.
