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WILMINGTON, DE — Joe Biden is as ready as he’s going to be.

The Delaware Senator has been holed up all week at a downtown hotel with Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; the former beauty queen played fellow pageant winner and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin in Democratic debate prep, which wrapped up before Biden traveled to Washington for last night’s votes.

The preparations themselves were run by Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, who told reporters this week that Biden is preparing just as he would for any debate — but that VP contests present a unique challenge.

“Vice-presidential debates are the most difficult because - regardless of who the candidates are – because, you know, in a presidential debate you have your record, the opponent’s record, your views, the opponent’s views,” Axelrod said. “In a vice-presidential debate, you’ve got to think about your own record, the candidate’s record, the opponent — and this is primarily gonna be a debate about where the principals, the presidential candidates, want to take the country, but there’s more to keep track of.”

Democrats, including Obama supporter and Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, have worried about Biden’s propensity for putting his foot in his mouth — and others are concerned that the 36-year senator could come off as condescending when debating a woman without the same experience. Axelrod suggested that Biden will stick to the script.

“I don’t think he’s going there to go after Governor Palin. I think he’s going there to make the case for Senator Obama,” he said. “I think Governor Palin is a skilled politician. She got elected in a very tough political arena against tough opponents and we’re going to treat her with the respect that she deserves.”

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GREENSBORO, NC - In their first post-debate rally, Barack Obama and Joe Biden appeared together in the new battleground state of North Carolina - and formed an informal mutual admiration society.

Introducing the man at the top of the ticket, Biden told the crowd outside the historic Southern Railway station last night America looked at a person, the person sitting here to my left, and they just didn’t see a winner last night, [they] saw the next commander in chief, Barack Obama. “

For his part, Obama praised his running mate not only for his politics and his policies, but for his prowess with the ladies. “I notice a lot of women been talking about Joe lately. I noticed it,” he joked.

“The reason I’m so proud to have Joe with me is because he has always been fighting for the same folks he grew up with. He knows what it’s like to struggle.”

But the two came together in attacking John McCain - accusing the GOP nominee of neglecting the middle class during the debate.

“Ladies and gentlemen, and last night, John McCain’s silence was deafening on the middle class. The word, the phrase never parted his lips once. Not one single time,” Biden said.

“He talked about the economy for forty minutes, and not once did Senator McCain talk about the struggles of middle class families. Not once did he talk about what they’re facing every day here in North Carolina and around the country,” said Obama. “John McCain had a lot to see about me, but he had nothing to say about you.”

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OXFORD, MS - Following tonight’s first debate of the general election season, staffers, surrogates, and advisors from both campaigns were on hand to talk to members of the media to talk up their candidates’ performance.

It’s commonly referred to as “spin alley” because no matter who you talk to - their side won.

Take, for instance, Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe, who declared victory minutes after the debate’s conclusion.

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Although it’s difficult to cut through all the triumphant chatter, it’s probably fair to say that neither side has to admit defeat. John McCain effectively pushed his experience and his appeal as a low-risk factor, but then Obama held his own against the 26-year Washington veteran who’s known for his depth of knowledge in foreign policy.

To mix sports metaphors - Obama did not fumble, a low bar to be sure, but McCain failed to hit it out of the park.

OXFORD, MS — Sen. McCain rallied nearly 1,000 supporters at a watch party at an Oxford bar following Friday night’s presidential debate.

“Do you think we showed ‘em who is qualified to be commander in chief tonight?” McCain said to cheers at the Lyric Oxford. “I hope I made you proud tonight.”

OXFORD, MS - Barack Obama arrived in Oxford this afternoon, dropped by the site of tonight’s first debate of the general election, and he is currently “hanging out” at the nearby Inn at Ole Miss.

The campaign had scheduled three days of debate preparation in Clearwater, Florida, this week, but because of the economic crisis and calls for the candidate to return to Washington, Obama’s “debate camp” was cut short to just one day.

On his way to Mississippi today, Obama told reporters traveling with him that he was looking forward to tonight’s debate - to which his GOP rival was nearly a no show.

“At this point my strong sense is that the best thing that I can do, rather than to inject presidential politics into some delicate negotiations, is to go down to Mississippi and explain to the American to the American people what is going  on and my vision for leading the country over the next four years,” Obama said.

I caught up with Robert Gibbs for a brief moment inside the press file on the campus of the University of Mississippi and asked him about tonight’s debate and whether or not he thinks Obama got enough prep time to take on John McCain.

Check it out here:

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CUDAHY, WI — Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden told firefighters in this suburban Milwaukee town that the two presidential candidates are likely to sound very different in their foreign policy debate tonight — particularly on homeland security.

“Tonight we’re going to hear a debate on American foreign policy. We’re going to hear a debate on our national security. We’re going to hear it from Mississippi,” he said — just minutes after John McCain announced that he would, in fact, participate in that debate.

“But I want to tell you a little preview. The fundamental difference between John and Barack, and me and John, is this: if you’re talking about security, it starts at home.

Biden said McCain has opposed everything from stronger port security and more local cops to providing first responders with interoperable radios.

“The list goes on. Virtually none of it’s been done, nationally,” he said. “So folks, what’s the deal? Does it mean John, who voted against those things, does it mean John who voted against them doesn’t care about you? No.”

“It’s about what John and the conservative right believe is the responsibility of the federal government vs local responsibility,” Biden continued. “They argue that whether or not there is an attack — If someone were to set off a dirty bomb at the Brewers game tonight, they say that is a local problem. The local government, the mayor of Milwaukee, the local fire service. The local police. Ladies and gentlemen, to me that is a federal responsibility.”

“I’m absolutely convinced John McCain wants to do away with crime. I’m absolutely convinced John McCain would put his body between you and a terrorist. I’m absolutely convinced John McCain feels as deeply as I do about protecting the homeland,” Biden said. But he votes against funding it.”

Biden, as you might imagine, feels strongly that that’s the wrong way to go. “I’m sick and tired of this neoconervative malarkey that somehow the federal government doesn’t have responsibility to this local fire hall,” he exclaimed.

“I want you to understand. This debate, it’s a big deal debate. It’s about a philosophy. It’s not about who cares about you,” he said. “You hear this foreign policy debate tonight between Barack Obama and John. Think beyond whether or not John was a hero, because he was and is. We need more than a good soldier, we need a wise leader. We need a wise leader.”

CLEARWATER, FL - At a media availability today at the site of his debate preparations in Florida, Barack Obama told reporters that he did not intend to travel to Washington as his chief rival pledged to do, but that, ” if I can be helpful, then I am prepared to be anywhere, anytime.”

Just a few hours later - in the midst of his debate preps, his campaign announced he would, in fact, return to DC to meet with the president. “President Bush called Senator Obama and asked him to attend a meeting in Washington tomorrow, which he agreed to do.  Senator Obama has been working all week with leaders in Congress, Secretary Paulson, and Chairman Bernanke to improve this proposal, and he has said that he will continue to work in a bipartisan spirit and do whatever is necessary to come up with a final solution.  He strongly believes the debate should go forward on Friday so that the American people can hear from their next President about how he will lead America forward at this defining moment for our country,” spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.

Following his trip to the nation’s capitol, Obama will return to Florida to continue preparations for Friday’s debate, which may or may not include Senator McCain.

CLEARWATER, FL - Barack Obama addressed the press corps at the Florida resort where he is conducting debate preparations for a debate that John McCain may not even attend.

“It’s my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” Obama told reporters. Getting in a dig at his rival for suspending his campaign to focus on the economy, Obama continued, “And I think that it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

According to Team Obama, Republican Senator Tom Coburn suggested to the Democratic nominee that the two campaigns issue a joint statement. After mulling it over, Obama phoned McCain at 8:30 this morning to make the pitch. Sometime between 2:30 and 2:35 - after Obama’s lone rally today - the two senators had a “cordial” five minute conversation where they agreed to a joint statement.

Recounting the conversation, Obama said after the agreement was made, McCain said he’d like to look at potentially suspending the campaigns and postponing the debate. “What I suggested to him was, ‘Well, why don’t we get the joint statement out first and our staffs will discuss this?’  I think the only — the only possible miscommunication might have been how quickly there was announcement and somebody was on television,” he said.

Obama seemed surprised to learn five to ten minutes after their conversation that McCain had announced his decision to suspend his campaign and try to postpone the debate. “I thought this was something that was — that he was mulling over. Apparently, this was something that, you know, he was more decisive about in his own mind,” Obama said.

While McCain heads to Washington, Obama will continue debate preps in Florida, saying he would, if needed, return to the Senate, and that he is “working ’round the clock” on the crisis and talking to leadership and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson every day.

So far, no leadership has asked for the candidate’s presence in Washington, and Obama indicated that bringing to circus to DC might actually hinder negotiations. “I think it’s important, though, is that we don’t suddenly infuse Capitol Hill with presidential politics at a time when we’re in the middle of some very delicate and difficult negotiations. So, you know, I think the message is, if you need us, if I can be helpful, I’m prepared to be there at any point,” he explained.

But don’t expect the Obama campaign to forgo the debate - even if McCain does not show up. Said senior strategist Robert Gibbs, “My sense is there’s going to be a stage, an audience, a moderator, and at least one presidential candidate.”

Read the complete transcript of Obama’s media availability below the jump.

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GRAND JUNCTION, CO - The genesis of Barack Obama’s slide in recent polls is debatable, but the numbers are not. Is it the Palin effect? A post-convention GOP bounce? The barrage of misleading ads like “Education,” that claimed Obama’s one accomplishment in education was that he voted for sex ed for kids? Or perhaps it’s because of the focus over distractions like “lipstick on a pig.” Whatever the attribution, 50 days from the election, Obama is inserting some urgency in his plea to voters.

“We must change the Karl Rove brand of politics that we’ve been seeing over the last few weeks - the politics that would divide this country just to win and election where phony debates, and false advertisements, lies and spin consume a campaign that should be about, must be about the great challenges of our time,” he said at a rally in Colorado today. “We must end the policies of the last eight years. This has been our message from the day we began this campaign; it was our message when we were up, it was our message when we were down. And until now this has not been our opponents message,” he said resolutely.

Obama has accused McCain of swiping his message of change since the Republican convention. Today he accused him of stealing his slogan. “He had an ad today that he started running that said he and Governor Palin would bring, guess what? The ‘change that we need,’” he said, standing behind a podium with a placard reading “Change We Need.” The crowd laughed. Obama continued, “Sound familiar? Let me tell you something - instead of borrowing my lines, he needs to borrow some of our ideas. Change isn’t about slogans, it’s about substance.”

Obama said he welcomes a debate about who can best bring about change - presumably the debates about lipstick, pigs, and Paris Hilton are not debates he’s eager have. But those petty debates, the Democrat contends, are ones that the Republicans have been pushing - as they have in elections past.

“We’ve seen them turn an entire campaign into a debate about swift boats and windsurfing and what do you get when it’s over? Iraq and Katrina and a meltdown on Wall Street and millions without jobs or homes or healthcare. Pain at the pump. Enough. Enough of this. Not this time. Not this year. We can’t afford to let them make another big election about small things,” he said.

With Election Day just around the corner, Obama is stressing the enormity of the decision at hand. “In 50 days, you’ll walk into that voting booth, pull back that curtain and choose the future you want for America. This is a defining moment in our history,” he said.

But then Obama the realist warned his supporters that the election won’t be easy. “We are up against a very powerful entrenched status quo in Washington. They will say anything and they will do anything and they will fight with everything they’ve got to keep things just the way they are, but I feel good about our chances Colorado. I feel good because in this election, I’ve got something more powerful than they do. I’ve got you,” he said.

And at the end of his nearly 40 minute speech, Obama asked for their help. Read it, in full, below the jump.

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There’s lots of talk about who would play Sarah Palin in a 2008 election movie (with talk centering on SNL alum Tina Fay). But we know who’ll play her in Joe Biden’s debate prep. Biden told the crowd at a Chicago fundraiser that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has agreed to spend four days helping him prepare for the debate.

If Biden’s right about Palins debate strategy, Granholm will be spending a lot of time on the attack.

“I know what she’s going to try to do. She’s going to try to make it as personal as she can,” Biden said of Palin. “She’s going to take a lot of straight lefts and jabs at me, she’s going to try to get me to respond, she’s going to try to get me to respond in a personal way. That’s not my style. Im not going to do it.”

Biden revealed that as soon as Palin’s nomination was announced, he knew it would be a problem for Democrats — citing her “compelling initial story” and personality, and the history making nature of her nomination.

“But I think you’re going to see this thing change,” he said — arguing that the press is exaggerating how much women are being drawn to the GOP ticket by Palin.