Sarah "Joe Six Pack" Palin gets ready to rumble

Could the vice-presidential debate actually be consequential this time around? You bet. No offense to any of the vice-presidential wannabees, but a Biden - Romney showdown or a Biden - Pawlenty (remember him?) contest or a Biden - Portman (who?) debate would not likely be must-see TV.

We've got Joe Biden and Sarah Palin to look forward to. And make no mistake, this thing is being billed as the Thrilla' in Manila, but could end up as disastrous for either or both as Milli Vanilli.

The gaffe-meisters

After all, we've got one candidate who is synonymous with gaffe-prone. Go ahead and Google "gaffe prone." Top result? Joe Biden. Google "Joe Biden." Top related search? Joe Biden gaffes.

In the other corner, we've got Sarah Palin. And in the short time the country has come to know this moose-hunting, hockey mom from Alaska, she's gone from hero to zero, from chic to geek, from rising star to falling star in just one month.

When you consider that the rise and fall of Sarah Palin has occurred in just one month, you see the impact of this incredibly short news cycle. With all the news reports, analyses, talk radio, TV punditry, late-night jokes, skits, You-Tube remixes -- it feels like we've known Sarah for months if not years.

Palin-hysteria

Even with all the recent hullabaloo stirred up by conservatives freaked over Palin's recent television interviews, she projected a stronger image -- even a flash of feistiness -- Monday night with Katie Couric.

The performance didn't satisfy her harsher critics who pointed out that Republican nominee John McCain had to join her to protect the governor from more 'gotcha journalism.'

Joe Six-Pack

But on a conservative radio talk show program on Tuesday Sarah Palin sounded a bit more like the Sarah Palin the public got to know at the Republican convention.

“Oh, I think they’re [critics] just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that a normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it,” she said.

Palin's 401(k) nosedives

Palin went on to discuss the turbulent financial weather in terms of how it's affecting her family.

"I know what Americans are going through," Palin told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt. “And you know, even today, Todd and I are looking at what’s going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we’re taking, probably $20,000 dollars last week in his 401K plan that was hit.

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