Elevating your opponents

Vice President Biden said his predecessor, Dick Cheney, is either "misinformed or … misinforming" as the two sparred on separate Sunday news shows about Cheney's continued criticism of the Obama administration's handling of terror threats.

Biden said that Cheney is off base criticizing Obama on fighting terrorists and noted that the administration has killed 12 of the 20 most wanted al-Qaeda operatives — and has "taken out 100 of their associates."

Cheney said he is a "supporter" of Obama's policy in the Afghanistan war, including last year's decision to deploy 30,000 more U.S. troops. But he said the administration has failed to take a wartime posture toward terror suspects.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-02-14-biden-cheney-bicker-TV_N.htm

Generally, an administration doesn't elevate its opponents by mocking them or engaging them directly.

Yet, in the past week, the press secretary mocked Palin and the vice president debated (by proxy) Cheney on national security issues.

These are signs of a desperate, worried, sinking administration.