Several folks wrote me that I needed to see the debate, rather than hear it on the radio as I did, to appreciate how poorly McCain did. I just watched most of the video on my TiVo and they're right. He looked crankier and more desperate…and even less convincing when he did his "I know how to fix this" lines. Obama looked cool and serious and for all the world like a guy who can afford to just sit on a big lead.
By the way: After the festivities, I listened to two local radio newsguys discussing what we'd just heard. One of them said, "You know, this may just be a lot simpler than people are making it out to be. This election may just be a matter of the public deciding that Republicans have gotten us into all the messes we're in so it's time to vote for whoever has the 'D' after his name, and there's nothing McCain can do about that." I'm not sure I don't agree with that.