Prediction: Palin will do just fine.
The format pretty much ensures it. They each get 90 seconds to respond with an additional 2 minutes for discussion. No follow-up questions and a 2 minute closing statement.
Palin is good at rambling on without saying anything of substance so filling 3½ minutes with nice-sound pablum will be no problem for her. Also, there’s almost no likelihood that Gwen Ifill is going to throw them a curveball question so Palin will be well-rehearsed for nearly any question she gets.
Also, she’ll get out a couple prepared-in-advance zingers on Biden that will make headlines like pitbull cosmetic references are known to do.
Biden will do well, too. He’s an old hand at this kind of thing. But she’ll probably keep up so, I say she comes out of it looking okay which means she may even be seen as winning it, even if she’s says little of substance.
You heard it here first.
I’m just prognosticatin’…
