8:50 P.M. It’s on, ya’ll. Prepare your televisions, fire up your Internets, and ready your drinks.

8:58 P.M. What is the best network to watch the debates on? A haggard-looking Chris Matthews is babbling away on MSNBC.

9:00 P.M. Gwen Ifill lays it down. Half domestic, half foreign policy. Chosen by Ifill. Order by coin toss. No “untoward outbursts.” None of this free-flowing Lehrer shit.

9:03 P.M. Can I call you Joe!?

Read More “NOW: Live Blogging the Vice Presidential Debate” »

Live commentary on the vice presidential debate, tonight at Washington University in St. Louis.

Only three hours to go until the most important U.S. vice presidential live blog since Al Gore invented the Internets. Some words for our competitors: Watch out, Senator Biden—Sarah Palin’s been reading the newspapers, all of them! Not so fast, Governor Palin—Joe Biden’s been gaffin’ up gaffe-town since you were in like second grade! Woah there, Gwen Ifill—try to keep the fist-bumping Obama stooge in you in check for an hour and a half— City Paper folk hero Dave McKenna demands it of you! Candidates, clip on the unmovable fortresses which are your hairdos and get ready to rumble! BONUS: This live blog now accepting live comments! Live! Oh my goodness I am so excited!

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:

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.