BIDEN FOREIGN POLICY EXPERT:  not! as shown by this commenter on Stephen Green’s blog.

VODKAPUNDIT:  7:19PM Biden is flat-out lying about the contraception mandate. Big fat hairy lie.

ED — AT ACE THEY SAY BOTH THE MODERATOR AND BIDEN ARE YELLING AT RYAN: Is this working for ANYONE?  Is it only to our partisan lens that this sounds like bullying?  Ann is saying: 8:51: The stress level is rising. Biden is so angry. Why is he yelling? Ryan needs nerves of steel not to lose his cool. I’m impressed that Ryan, when he gets his turn, is able to speak in an even, natural voice. It’s hard to concentrate on the policy itself, because the emotional static is so strong.

WHAT I’M GETTING FROM ALL MY FRIENDS: Biden is either acting like the village idiot or a bar heckler.  Is this playing well to anyone?  And the moderator… seems to be immoderately biased.  (And now I really must go eat.  My family is threatening to eat without me.)

MORE LIVEBLOGGING: Ace of Spades — and now I’m going to refill my drink and get some food.  I can’t actually watch this.  I’ll go berserk.

ALSO LIVEBLOGGING:  our very own Ann Althouse  in case you missed the announcement  below.  Getch yer folding chairs and scoot right up.  the show has started.

DRUNKBLOGGING: The only way to blog the debates, Stephen Green is on it.

FROM MY FRIEND BILL READER: Drawn in haste, his view of the debate preparation

THE EXPECTATION GAME:  I’m afraid I agree with Ace of Spades — Debate Thoughts: Lower Expectations  only I think he underestimates the need of the wounded children of the left to be reassured that daddy is back.  Not only will they seize on a “not totally horrible” performance by Biden to declare victory, but they’ll also endlessly pound home via the lapdog media that this means Obama is back and is all they hoped.  Enough to win?  At this point, I wish I could say no.  But considering how the media has buried Fast and Furious and is still sitting on Benghazi — either of which should have put an end to Obama’s hopes, I’m no longer sure of anything.  I hope enough of us remain furious and ready to vote.

MY FRIEND LARRY CORREIA IS EXCITED: About the debate.  I wish I were.  I have a sick feeling that reality will once more be kicked into an alternate reality type of shape by the media.  I fear the headlines declaring Biden’s victory and the restoration of the Great Democrat Hope  are already written.

DRINK IN SOLIDARITY WITH STEVE’S LIVER: Stephen Green of Vodkapundit is liveblogging the debate.

THIS SHOULD STOP JITTERS ABOUT HIS MORMONISM: Among people who care about such things.  Billy Graham endorses Mitt.  (Hat Tip Daniel Blatt of Gay Patriot who assures me this is a good thing.)

NO WORD ON WHETHER THEY CAN SEW BALLGOWNS:  Mice can ‘sing’, scientists discover.  Of course Disney has known that for decades.

UPDATE (From Ed): Well, we know they can sing “The Bells of St. Mary’s,” at least…

AT LEAST THEY’RE TRYING: Engulfed by the global economic crisis, Portugal continues to fail in its bid to profit from its ‘good student’ billing.  This probably doesn’t help: Portugal has second highest tax rate in the world, just behind Argentina.  It’s been a long time and I was young when I moved over here.  I have no idea how one says Laffer curve in Portuguese.

I MADE IT A POINT TO NEVER PRAISE THE KIDS TOO MUCH:  but to be realistic about how great an achievement things were in relation to their abilities.  Other mommies thought I was mean.  Apparently I was right. Praising the school of hard knocks.

BECAUSE  CENTRALLY-CONTROLLED HEALTH IS ALWAYS BETTER: Lack of weekend NHS consultants ‘risking patients’ lives’  Sort of like when, at 18, I had the bad idea of getting a serious infection in a tooth during August.  All doctors in Porto were on vacation.  I had my tooth pulled by an orthodontist who really didn’t know what he was doing.  It’s not pretty when doctors go Galt.

GOOD TO KNOW:  A guide to the proper pronunciation of Scots Whiskeys.

NEEDLESS TO SAY IN THIS COMPANY, I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS WHO ARE LAWYERS: But sometimes you’re reminded of WHY people make lawyer jokes. Eric Marshall of Lawyers Committee Opposes Voter Fraud Warnings.  And unfortunately THAT’s not a joke.

REALITY BASED COMMUNITY: thinks Romney wants to ban tampons.  The only way I can explain this is that they really have NO idea what conservatives are like.  To them we are the true Other that they spent so much time tracking through literature and culture.  Only, of course, they don’t see that.  Irony, thy name is progressive.

DUBIOUS DONATIONS: Peter Schweizer responds to Organizing For America’s defense of the Obama campaign credit card donation policies.

NOT BACKING DOWN: Jack Welch Responds to critics.

HARVEST THE WIND: ‘Soviet-style’ wind farm subsidies to face the axe

STEPHEN GREEN POLL DANCES:  How Do You Spell Relief? O-I-H-O  (Please note POLL — I don’t want his wife to kill me.)

NO BIAS WHATSOEVER THERE: President Barack Obama was a guest at wedding of the moderator of the VP debate. (via Drudge.)

CONTEMPORARIES TALKED ABOUT IT: Did Shakespeare have syphilis?  There is a contemporary poem called William His Avisa, which was supposed to be about someone giving Shakespeare the pox.  That is, if you assume Shakespeare was the bard of Avon.  Me?  I’m an unrepentant Stratfordian.  Unredeemed too.