The thing is that I will be up against someone who is pretty much guaranteed the job even before the interview.
You might not be able to do anything about that then. Could be that the act of interviewing other candidates is really for the formality of the paperwork to make it look like they did a search.
I just wanted to do something to differentiate myself just in case there is that .01% of a chance that I can get through. It's also a job in an entirely different department at the organisation and one that I have little to no experience in, but I am pretty sure I can do a good job. The person who is guaranteed for the job also has no experience in the field so they can't really hold that against me. As for the boss, I have never worked with him but I have served on tender committees in the past and he seems very open to ideas and suggestions, so I don't think he would see it as a threat.
Go for it, I say. Worst case, you simply have those ideas out there in front of people who might notice. Maybe not them right away, but maybe later on down the road (like when the shoe-in candidate fails out

) or when they talk to other people and you come up in conversation. So stand out. More upside than not, although it may not be direct.
I hate Jerry. He seems like a dick. So does Larry, but at least he's funny looking.
You know, I kind of thought the same. Then last week I saw Jerry Seinfeld interviewed on the street on an episode of TMZ. And he was
sharp. No, it was
game on for Jerry. In a way that was actually pretty cool -- it upped my respect for the guy, as it didn't seem like he lost it. (Meanwhile, I still have issues with Steve Martin who is over-earnestly trying to go all highbrow as a playwright and author.)