Friday begins the set of presidential debates, that quadrennial series of high-profile, low-standard television artifices, the final opportunities for our candidates to directly reach massive audiences.

A good article in the Atlantic this month reminded me that there were 47 primary season debates. That’s a hard number to believe, considering that I saw maybe five of those and I’m pretty into this stuff. And of those 42 debates that neither you, me, nor anyone watched, what was filtered into the national media the following day?

The things that made people look bad, or dishonest, or dumb.

The most discussed moments in presidential debates are not impressive answers, solid understanding of issues or points debated. No, it’s when candidates look bad. Like the Admiral seeming and being ridiculously unprepared and George H.W. Bush looking at his watch and Richard Nixon having a cold. The obvious corollary to this is candidates doing their best to make the other candidates look bad. And simply outsmarting them or having better positions is not nearly as effective in sound bite world as the well-crafted, funny and concise putdown.

The Zinger.

There are classics. Benson humiliating Quale. Reagan’s “there you go again”. Most recently we had Bush on Kerry: “the only thing consistent about my opponent's position is he's been inconsistent." They fit into the themes of the election and are the products of calculated quick thinking or more likely, careful planning.

So the lines for Friday are undoubtedly in production and a part of rehearsal sessions. What will they be?

The Republican’s comic gold on Obama’s experience as a community organizer doesn’t seem ripe for a wide audience. But surely McCain will make a crack about his own age while cutting down Obama for his. I’d put money on that one.

What would I like Obama to say that he won't? How about asking that McCain be connected to a polygraph machine.

Axelrod and I are open to suggestions.