2004 seemed rather unremarkable in a historical context, but one line will be instructive this time around.  John Kerry said:  "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as."  Mentioning Cheney’s daughter was described by Lynne Cheney as a “cheap and tawdry trick,” and most likely hurt Kerry.  This is instructive because one could imagine Biden congratulating Palin on her daughter, Bristol’s pregnancy.

John Edwards (who also mentioned Cheney’s daughter) slammed Dick Cheney’s associations with Halliburton, while Cheney probably landed the hardest blow while blasting Edward’s poor attendance in the U.S. Senate: “I’m up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they’re in session, the first time I ever met you was when you walked on this stage tonight.”  

So what lessons can be learned?  Here are a few items the candidate should consider.

       Barack Obama should closely watch the 1988 vice presidential debate so he isn’t also lambasted for being an effete liberal, overly intellectual, and for having an overly high opinion of himself.

-       John McCain, on the other hand, should study the 1992 presidential debates to see how Bill Clinton out-maneuvered a more aloof opponent.  He should also watch the ’92 vice presidential debate to avoid a potentially disturbing resemblance to Admiral Stockdale.  He should also look at the 1984 debate, and see how Reagan defused the age issue with humor.

-       Sarah Palin should also watch a lot of Reagan, who was the expert at being likeable and disarming opponents.  She has what it takes, but it won’t hurt to have “The Gipper” whispering in her ear.

-      And finally, Joe Biden should avoid the ’04 mistake of mentioning his opponent’s children.  Moreover, he should avoid the 1988 VP debate at all costs and watch the Bush-Ferraro debate instead. With all due respect to Biden, my advice to him is, “Senator, you’re no Lloyd Bentsen” – so don’t bother trying to take down Palin the way Bentsen took down Quayle.  By watching Bush’s mishandling of the Ferraro debate, he may also avoid coming across as “patronizing” to the likable, female newcomer.    

In the final analysis, it may be hard to predict what could come out of this year’s debates, there are a few lessons for each of the candidates.  

Don’t make any wild claims. Dan Quayle and Bob Dole both paid for that mistake in VP debates, and Barack Obama could end up in the same situation if he says anything about turning back the waters or healing the planet. Soaring messianic rhetoric works on the campaign trial, but not when your opponent is ready to pounce. Don’t look like you don’t care. Obama has the tendency to come across as overly calm and disconnected, a trait that got Mike Dukakis in trouble when asked about his wife.

Some poetic oratory is necessary. James Stockdale found that out the hard way, and John McCain could fall into the same trap. Try to relate to the average American, but not too hard. Reagan scored with “There you go again”, but Carter flopped when he admitted asking his daughter for advice.  And finally, it almost goes without saying that the guy with the best lines usually wins.  Cynical as it sounds, nobody remembers much about the hardcore policy debates, but who doesn’t remember “there you go again”, “Why am I here?”, or “you’re no Jack Kennedy”?

For video and analysis of every debate since 1976, be sure to check out Jim Lehrer’s program “Debating Our Destiny” at PBS.com.  

Townhall’s Adam Brickley contributed to this column.