Debate watch -- same advice: Watch with grain of salt and an eye for policy

Tonight's linguistic battle between the men who want to be vice president of your country is not likely to yield any great revelations about leadership style or policy.

In fact, considering the hoopla over the first presidential debate, both candidates should be well-prepared and ready for battle. Don't expect a landslide "gotcha" -- although you never really know.

So look out for the usual pitfalls -- the politics, the unfounded accusations and the probability that there will be lots of mud throwing in Kentucky tonight.

But even though this is the second tier, it is important to listen to the statements by both Paul Ryan and Joe Biden tonight.

There are positions to be discussed and policies to be explained -- and they are going to do both, live, on television.

Knowing who is going to be the second in command is not the critical part of choosing a president, but it does not hurt to know who will be in place, just in case.

Both men will have stuff to say tonight -- some of it will be for show and some will be for real.

The task for the rest of us is to decipher what each stands for and what each can bring to the presidential table.

Then, we will be one step closer to an informed vote.

Published in Editorials on October 11, 2012 10:40 AM