By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The stakes couldn't be higher for Thursday's vice presidential debate.
After the debacle that was President Obama's performance at the first debate last week, expect interest to be especially high when Joe Biden and Paul Ryan face off in Kentucky for their only debate.
At this point, in the face of plummeting poll numbers for the president, the Obama campaign must rely on Joe Biden to turn this thing around. Good luck with that.
Look for Biden to come out swinging, hitting hard on issues like Romney's "47%" comment, Ryan's controversial budget plan and his proposal to change Social Security.
As one Republican adviser tells Politico, Biden will bring his "proverbial nunchucks and brass knuckles" to the debate.
Of course, this has got to leave a lot of nervous Democrats, because with Joe Biden, you never know what you're going to get. While Biden is a seasoned debater who connects well with voters, he also tends to say dumb things from time to time. Just a couple of months ago, the White House had to sweep up after Biden after he told a largely black audience in Virginia that Republicans "would put y'all back in chains."
Ryan will no doubt ask Biden about foreign policy, including the murder of an American ambassador in Benghazi, more than 40 months of 8%-plus unemployment, a $16 trillion deficit, no federal budget for the last three years and so on.
There's also the risk that in trying to make up for Obama's weak debate, Biden comes across as too aggressive.
As for Ryan, he says the pressure is on him after Romney's strong showing last week. Ryan says he expects Biden to launch at him "like a cannon ball," describing Biden as a gifted, extremely experienced and proven debater. Really?
This is must-see TV Thursday night.
Here’s my question to you: In light of the results of the first debate, how important is the vice presidential debate?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next election.
President Joe Biden.
You may or may not think it has a ring to it.
But that may be just what the vice president has on his mind for 2016.
According to Politico, the often-unpredictable and entertaining Mr. Biden, who's already been down this road twice before, is quietly assembling a team of advisers which includes a top Clinton-era operative.
So one might wonder if Biden thinks the third time might be a charm.
Close friends say right now he's focused on helping President Obama win a second term.
He's already popping up on the campaign trail-and depending on what's on his mind, he can arguably be the most interesting one out there.
After that though, friends think - and think he thinks - a potential White House run could be on the table.
Not everyone says that's such a great idea.
After all, he'll be 73 and has been known to put his foot in his mouth on occasion - sometimes on no occasion.
Of course there is also Hillary Clinton - who is a much bigger star in the Democratic party. She ran in 2008 and came very close to beating Obama for the nomination.
There was even talk she was going to replace Biden on the ticket as President Obama's running mate this go-round.
There are also some younger up-and-comers who could potentially breathe new life into the party and may want to give it a go.
Politico suggests New York Governor Andrew Cuomo or Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, to name a couple.
Never mind all that. I hope Biden jumps in. It would be the most refreshing thing to happen to presidential politics since, well, Obama ran.
Here’s my question to you: Would you vote for Joe Biden in 2016?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Vice Pres. Biden poses for a photo with U.S. soldiers at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad on the Fourth of July. (PHOTO CREDIT: KHALID MOHAMMED/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
There is some question whether Vice President Joe Biden did it again. Over the weekend, Biden said that the U.S. would not stand in the way if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities. Some say this signals a change in U.S. policy - drawing a harder line against Iran.
But the White House said the statement simply maintains what they've always said: That Israel has the right to defend itself.
The Vice President also said that the U.S. remains willing to negotiate with Iran, in spite of the recent violence that erupted in the wake of the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Obama and said he'd wait it out for the rest of this year to see if Iran is willing to talk. When asked if this was the right approach, Vice President Biden did not say whether or not the U.S. agrees with the position, but did say: "Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation; what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."
Here’s my question to you: Vice President Biden said Israel is free to set its own course on Iran. What does this mean?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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