Er, has this downplaying-debate-expectations game maybe gotten just a little out of hand? H/t RCP, in the first few minutes:

 Oh, please. Please, please, please. Give me 20 breaks, not just one. Mitt Romney debated against Ted Kennedy back in the ’90s. He debated one-on-one when he ran for governor. He probably turned his campaign around when he ran for governor and won the governorship because of what happened in that debate.

And listen to the Republicans, don’t listen to me, because nobody’s — I’m obviously partisan. But just this morning on “Morning Joe,” Newt Gingrich, who debated him many, many times, said that he got clobbered by him, that Mitt Romney, when he had to, down in Florida, literally turned things around; everybody saw that and knows that. …

So the fact is that Mitt Romney is a very good debater. He’s done a very good job at it. He’s practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced, and he’s been flying around with, you know, the person playing Obama on his airplane every minute. He’s gone away and done five debates in 48 hours up in New Hampshire or Vermont or somewhere. …

The president, on the other hand, has to be president every day. Just gave two speeches — I thought terrific speeches — in New York. He has been at the White House and dealing with a whole series of issues, Middle East and otherwise.

Mmm hmm. I mean, what with all of that presiding he’s been doing, it’s clear that the President has had hardly a spare moment for such trivial things as debate practice, I’m sure.