(Photo: Getty Images)

Despite all the attacks, lies, and smears endlessly analyzed and obsessed over by political junkies the past couple months, many Americans won't really start hearing Barack Obama and John McCain make the case for themselves and against their opponent until the first presidential debate this Friday. Meaning, this thing is really important. So naturally, each candidate has gone to great lengths to find someone to impersonate the other for pre-debate sparring. McCain has tapped former lieutenant governor of Maryland and noted black Republican, Michael Steele. Obama is going with Washington lawyer Greg Craig. One vice-presidential stand-in is set—Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm will be Sarah Palin—while the Republicans struggle to choose a Joe Biden lookalike. But how do these clones measure up to the candidates they've been tasked with playing? What do they have in common (other than being black, or old, or having lady bits), and how are they different? Let's have a look:

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