Report: Bush veterans prep Palin

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Advisers from the Bush administration are prepping Gov. Sarah Palin for her vice presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden, U.S. political strategists say.

Palin's coaches are tough political operatives who helped George W. Bush become president of the United States, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

For the sole vice presidential debate Oct. 2, the Alaska governor is being coached by Mark Wallace, Bush's deputy campaign manager in 2004 and Tucker Eskew, a Republican strategist at the forefront of Bush's primary battle in 2002 against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the current Republican presidential nominee.

"There aren't a lot of experienced, skilled political operatives around who can work at the presidential level," said Republican strategist Mark McKinnon. "It would be very hard to put together a presidential team on the Republican side without hiring former Bush hands."

Palin has little foreign or federal policy experience while Biden, of Delaware, is a veteran senator and foreign policy expert.