Stay tuned here for The Sexist’s play-by-play of the 2008 vice presidential debate.

While you’re at it: Take the edge off the Sarah Palin/Joe Biden showdown by playing along with The Sexist’s 2008 Vice Presidential Drinking Game.

The debate begins at 9 p.m. EST; I’ll be live-blogging here starting around 8:45.

In preparing for tonight’s much-anticipated Vice Presidential debate, the Internet has been a-twitter about Sarah Palin’s tendency toward making horrific, embarrassing gaffes, and Biden’s . . . tendency toward making horrific, embarrassing gaffes. In order to boost tonight’s debaters a bit, here’s some positive footage of the two candidates:

Jed Lewison of the Huffington Post has compiled this video showing Sarah Palin performing well during the 2006 Alaskan gubernatorial debates. Since Alaska is just a “microcosm of the United States” . . . maybe, just maybe!

A great Joe Biden moment, from last year’s Democratic Presidential debates. Moderator Brian Williams asks Biden about his “uncontrolled verbosity” and characterization as a “gaffe-machine.” Biden’s response:

It’s been rumored for a few days now that CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric’s interview with Sarah Palin included a clip of the Governor being unable to name a single Supreme Court case. Technically, Palin fails to name a specific case that she disagrees with—let’s give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she’s heard of many, many Supreme Court cases with which she does agree. (Just like the many, many newspapers she can’t specify but that she totally reads).

In an interview released today, Couric asks Palin and Joe Biden essentially the same questions: “Why do you think Roe v. Wade was a good/bad decision?” and “Are there Supreme Court decisions you disagree with?” Biden answers them; Palin leaves me with a rage that I fear can only be satiated by gunning down a wild Alaskan wolf from an aircraft.

Just in case you missed it:

Couric: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?

Palin: Well, let’s see. There’s, of course in the great history of America there have been rulings, that’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but …

Couric: Can you think of any?

Palin: Well, I could think of … any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But, you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a vice president, if I’m so privileged to serve, wouldn’t be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.

Seriously, could Sarah Palin pass the Q-and-A portion of the Miss America pageant? Maybe this is why Palin couldn’t clinch the Miss Alaska title—it sure wasn’t the swimsuit portion.

Thursday night, I’ll be live-blogging the sole VP debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. As I do so, I will be playing a Palin-Biden drinking game of my own design. Here, The Sexist’s advice on when to drink—and when to chug.

Alcoholic beverage of choice. If you decide to play up the regional theme, select Alaskan Amber for Palin and Delaware brew Dogfish Head for Biden. If you’re playing for personality, select a Moosehead Lager for Palin (or a sloppy White Russian, if you’re looking for something harder). When toasting to Biden, immerse yourself in blue-collar Scranton, PA and choose a Rolling Rock (edit-now proudly brewed in New Jersey).

CHUG YER BEER if you hear PALIN say:

- Russia
- Name of any foreign leader (mispronounced)
- Elitism
- God / Jesus
- Main Street
-Abortion
- Drill [x10 if followed by "Baby, drill"]
- Barack Obama
- Joe
- “Pssh,” or “Psshaw”
BONUS: Drink anytime Palin blinks.

SIP FROM THY DOGFISH HEAD if BIDEN says:

- Bush Doctrine
- Name of any foreign leader (pronounced correctly)
- Experience
- Middle class
- Financial bailout
- Scranton
- Wall Street
- John McCain
- Governor
- Exasperated sigh

FINISH YOUR BEER if:

- PALIN says “Lipstick” or “Hockey”
- BIDEN compliments any woman’s looks
- PALIN says she’ll “get back to you.”
- BIDEN appears to creepily check out Palin
- EITHER CANDIDATE says a FACT you know to be false.

Add your suggestions in the comments.

Image—S.S. Princess May shipwrecked off Sentinel Island, Alaska, 1910—by trialsanderrors.

The Sexist’s morning roundup of District chatter on sex, gender, and Sarah Palin.

* On Slate, Dahlia Lithwick serves Joe Biden with some rules on how to fight a girl. Lithwick, a former parliamentary debater (side-note: totally awesome), gives Biden a frank run-down on how not to lose the Veep debate to Governor Palin. Most of the advice is fine—don’t leer, don’t condescend, don’t stoop—until Lithwick slips from the particular Biden/Palin scenario to a generalization about all male/female match-ups.

When Lithwick writes that her “insanely successful college debate friend told me recently that the way he won against women was by always behaving like they were men,” the implication is that minus their feminine wiles—the lipstick on their pit bulls—women will lose. After a long explanation of why Biden shouldn’t respond to Palin with Palin tactics, Lithwick’s kicker—”My best advice to you for dealing with Gov. Palin? Fight like a man. She will.”—is both confusing and lame. Who’s the man what now?

* The Washington Post marches boldly on with their “Wedding Week” coverage. At 1 p.m. today, join the authors of The Bridal Wave: A Survival Guide to the Everyone-I-Know-Is-Getting-Married Years for a live online chat. Ask Erin Torneo and Valerie Cabrera Krause how people who desperately wish they were married manage to be more tragic than the people who actually publicly declare how they’re going to love each other forever in front of everyone they know. Including their parents.

* Wait, coverage of marriage issues that doesn’t include pandering to the wedding industry? The Blade tips you off to a panel discussion on marriage rights in California and Massachusetts, tonight at 6:30 at the University of California Washington Center. UCWC is located at 1608 Rhode Island Avenue NW.

* The New Gay chronicles the “hidden history” of the women behind the writings of Victorian author Michael Field.

* Via Wonkette: Michelle dances with Ellen. Possible next First Lady jam: Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” Last year, Barack got down to Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love.” Umm, I only watch Ellen when an Obama is on the show, does she make everyone do this?

Photo by NCinDC.