Opinion: In a surprise, John McCain’s camp trashes -- rather than touts -- Joe Biden

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(UPDATE BELOW)

Yet another shibboleth-shattering move in this precedent-sitting presidential campaign -- in advance of tonight’s vice presidential debate, John McCain’s campaign has released a web video that depicts Joe Biden as a master of the inappropriate, off-key comment.

As the game traditionally has been played, McCain surrogates would be front and center, touting his grasp of an array of complex subjects and depicting him as a far superior wordsmith to Sarah Palin -- all in the hopes he falls terribly short.

Instead, we get to watch a Biden blooper tape, culminating with a narrator intoning: ‘Ready to Gaffe? Yes. Ready to Lead? No.’

[UPDATE: Barack Obama aides are adhering to the traditional playbook as tonight’s encounter nears. Our colleague James Oliphant, writing for the Swamp, relates that Obama campaign honcho David Plouffe today characterized Palin as ‘one of the best debaters in American politics.’]

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-- Don Frederick