Joe Biden will have to debate Sarah Palin with one arm tied behind his back because… well, she’s a girl. The New York Times has the story.
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
Are you kidding me? Has this ever happened before? Can you imagine these rules being put in place when Dan Quayle debated Lloyd Bentsen? Of course not. Can you imagine them changing the rules of this debate if Sarah Palin was Sam Palin? Again, of course not. Why? Because it would be viewed as a sign of weakness. Know what? It is a sign of weakness.
So the next time a man claims that a woman is not capable of being President, or strong enough to deal with the demands of a job, or doesn’t deserve equal pay for equal work they’ll have evidence to back up their claim.