Barack Obama has debate prep to worry about and a financial crisis to observe (and hopefully use to his advantage). But his biggest irritation is clearly Joe Biden. Following the flap over AIG (Obama was mum, Biden opposed) and the clean coal remark in Ohio, Obama tried to shush Biden–took him “to the woodshed,” as the New York Post put it or, as someone else said, “slapped his loose-lipped running mate Tuesday, chastising [him] for speaking too fast and contradicting him on one of the massive financial bailouts.”

Not surprisingly, the coal comments didn’t play well in Ohio, where the Columbus Dispatch observed:

Joe Biden appeared to undermine Barack Obama’s backing of clean-coal technology when he told voters in Maumee last week that neither he nor Obama “are supporting clean coal.”

Biden’s comment is also getting plenty of attention in places like Pittsburg. And it followed him to the Virginia media. The question remains whether Biden will become a footnote, a compendium of ill-conceived comments, or something greater–a distraction which calls into question Obama’s judgment in selecting him, and by implication in rejecting Hillary Clinton. That VP debate will give Sarah Palin the opportunity to argue that with experience you don’t necessarily get wisdom.