Will it be the non-political interaction that matters most?

The picture is the hall at the university in St. Louis as it was being prepared for the only VP debate of the 2008 Presidential election that will take place tonight.

There has been enormous interest especially over whether Sarah Palin will be able to hold her own. Expectations for her are certainly at rock bottom follow some terrible TV interviews where her lack of knowledge and her home-spun manner have been exposed.

Also facing a tough challenge tonight is Joe Biden – who has a reputation for being a wind-bag and for saying silly things. Will he drop a clanger? More probably could his attitude to Palin come over as patronising which of itself could provide the GOP ticket with a boost.

For in the debates it’s not the words or arguments that matter – but how the tens of millions who are likely to watch react to the way the two VP contenders deal with each other.

Thus the biggest thing to come out of last week’s McCain-Obama clash was that the 72 year old would not even look at the Democratic contender. This has gone down like a bomb and is said to be one of the reasons why Obama’s poll numbers have gone up.

In the White House Race betting the McCain price has moved out even further – to nearly 3/1.

Mike Smithson