WASHINGTON - CNN newsman Bernard Shaw has a ritual he goes through -- with reluctance -- before moderating a debate.

But instead of sheep, he's counting politicians.

"The one draining ritual is, I can't get to sleep before 4 o'clock in the morning in the final days before preparing for the debate," he said Wednesday night. "I simply cannot shut down my mind. Just when I think I'm falling off to sleep, another question comes to mind."

But when vice presidential candidates Dick Cheney and Joseph Lieberman take the stage Thursday night in Danville, Ky., debate moderator Shaw promises to be sharp. After all, he's been there before. In 1988, he opened with a headline-stealing question to Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis.

"Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?" Shaw asked.

Dukakis gave an anemic answer, but maintained his anti-death penalty position. Shaw makes no apologies for the question.

"The question will follow me to my grave," Shaw said, adding that "my only defense is, since when did a question hurt a politician? It's not the question, it's the answer that counts."

Shaw is used to the spotlight. He was a familiar voice during his 16-hour nonstop coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. CNN was the only major network at the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, feeding its competitors.

These days, Shaw has safer assignments as a political reporter and co-host of CNN's "Inside Politics."

He prefers not to be the story.

"My mission will be to pose questions to Secretary Cheney and Senator Lieberman and get out of their way," he said. "They matter most. I do not."

Shaw was born in Chicago in 1940, the son of a housepainter and a housekeeper. He was often the voice of his school's public address system. He launched his career with radio and television stations in Chicago during the 1960s and went on to work for CBS and ABC in the 1970s. In 1980, he made a then-risky decision to join CNN, the cable news network that was just beginning.

In preparation for the debate, Shaw has read and reread the candidates' acceptance speeches at their party conventions. He's poured over their voting records in the Senate and House, scrutinized every interview and every transcript of their appearances on television talk shows and studied their biographies. He's even covered both men from time to time over the years.

Shaw moderated four debates during the primaries. But Thursday's format will be new for him: He'll be seated at table with Cheney and Lieberman in a more conversational setting.

"My instincts tell me informality breeds comfort," he said. "If Cheney and Lieberman are reasonably comfortable they're going to be their best selves."

And for Shaw?

"I'm an old-fashioned journalist who believes in being fair, balanced and accurate, and those principles color everything I do."