Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

Last week may have been rough for McCain, but it was even worse for his running mate. Can a solid debate performance on 10/2 help Palin reverse her slow, but steady, slide in the polls?

--Getting parodied by Tina Fey isn't the worst thing for Palin. After all, the SNL demographic isn't exactly a target rich environment for potential McCain voters. But when conservative commentators like NR's Parker say it's time to go, that's a big problem.

--Of course, every candidate loves to come into a high-stakes event w/ low expectations. And for Palin the bar's so low it's close to hitting the floor. She's had lots of time to prepare - something that clearly helped her w/ Gibson. But even if she passes the debate test, can we really expect to see her go off-script again? We suspect her role to be limited to rallying the base while continuing to avoid the media.

--More important, do growing questions about her "reformer" credentials - namely the continuing "Troopergate" saga as well as revelations about her "politics as usual" tenure in Wasilla - make it harder for McCain to push his own reform/maverick message? Or, in the end, will it be the economy and Bush, not Palin, that ultimately remain McCain's biggest stumbling blocks.