McCain has tanked the women vote

Well, if McCain gets bludgeoned at the polls by the women vote, we'll know why. In what could prove to be one of the watershed moments of the campaign, last night, during a question about Roe v. Wade, here is what McCain had to say about making exceptions to a late-term abortion ban in the case of danger to the mother:

Again... just again, an example of the eloquence of Senator Obama, health [indicates air quotes] of the mother. You know that's been stretched by the pro-abortion movement to mean almost anything.

With those words, McCain dishonored his party, his constituents, and just about every woman in America who has made the gut-wrenching choice to have an abortion.

And I'm about sick to death of Repubes running around insinuating that there are tens of thousands of women across the United States who are choosing to have an abortion in the seventh and eighth month of their pregnancies. It's a lot of b.s. And there's no such thing as a pro-abortion movement, either - McCain's merely playing two-year old linguistic games.

I was quite happy to hear Obama say last night that he's not "pro abortion," but that he's pro choice. Repubes try very, very hard to merge the two, but there's plenty of distinction between both camps. Wait, check that - I don't know of any "pro-abortion" movement.

For instance, I'm vehemently pro choice, but I'm not sure if I could ever tell my wife to have an abortion, unless her health were threatened (Then, it would be a much easier, but no less gut-wrenching decision).

What's more, McCain has a highly questionable pro-life "record" to begin with, and conservatives know it. Which is why he's craning his neck so hard to be seen by the radical religious right as some sort of pro-life crusader.

Take off the cape, McLiar - you aren't fooling anybody.

Obama's best moment last night

Confucius said, "He who throws mud, loses ground."

Okay, I don't know if he really said it, but it certainly sounds like something he would say. I heard it on the Bill Press show this morning, and I got a good laugh out of it.

McCain certainly did his share of mud slinging last night, and at one point, when questioned about his overwhelmingly negative advertising by Bob Schieffer, he even had the temerity to strongly insinuate that had Obama agreed to his demands for 10 town hall meetings, he wouldn't be running so much negative advertising! I found that to be just incredible, and the media largely seems to be trampling that point on the way to interviewing the most famous plumber in America. (My prediction of that quickly and sadly came true; before the debate even ended last night, Drudge was pimping video of Obama and Joe the Plumber on his site. Much more on Joe a bit later.)

The video above was by far Obama's best moment last night, when McCain finally demonstrated that he has the guts to make the wild and stupid ACORN and Bill Ayers accusations to Obama's face (I'll give him some miniscule credit for that). But what was really effective was Obama's response:

In fact, Mr. Ayers has become the centerpiece of Sen. McCain's campaign over the last two or three weeks. This has been their primary focus. So let's get the record straight.

[...]

Let me tell you who I associate with. On economic policy, I associate with Warren Buffett and former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. If I'm interested in figuring out my foreign policy, I associate myself with my running mate, Joe Biden or with Dick Lugar, the Republican ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, or General Jim Jones, the former supreme allied commander of NATO.

Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House. And I think the fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Sen. McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me.

To channel George Tenet, that was a slam dunk. I would have preferred an even stronger response, but then again, Obama came off sounding and looking very, ahem, presidential; I hate that term, but sometimes it really is apropos.

Me? I would have called out McCain for being the desperate campaigner that he is, and I mean literally I would have called him that. I was happy that Obama refuted the lie that he started his political career in Ayers' home. What's more, I don't really care if he did, either.

I would have liked it even more if Obama had thrown another name in McCain's face. As I wrote yesterday, in the 1960s and 70s, G. Gordon Liddy was every bit the terrorist that Ayers was (and quite possibly worse). But, in the end, it's probably better that Obama didn't lower himself to McCain's level of desperation.

h/t Crooks & Liars for the video & transcript

Even Faux News said that Obama won

For the record, I detest these "instant analysis" polls given by the networks immediately after any presidential debate. One, because I think it's the "instant gratification" that the networks constantly crave, and two, I doesn't allow people to actually sit down and ponder what they heard from all the candidates. With little time to think, mics are thrust into their faces, and they are forced to give an answer. We're not talking about a football game here, we're talking about a presidential election, and who will lead us for the next four years.

Having said all of that, they do have a bit of value - it's a quick way to see which way the political winds are blowing after an hour and a half of hot air spewing by the candidates. And last night, Obama was the winner, even on Faux News. That should be pretty telling.

Crooks & Liars has the transcript:

Frank Luntz: Early in the debate these people thought McCain was doing better, by the end of the debate Obama seemed to finish better. Brit.

Brit Hume: Question -- you said that none of the people came in there for Obama, may I take it that that's because they were undecided or because they were for McCain?

Luntz: No, they were undecided, we got 23 undecided voters. Brit, I chewed them out to make sure they were undecided. Did anyone switch your position tonight? We have one person... four people. Who did you go to?

Undecided voter #1: I lean more toward Obama.

Undecided voter #2: Obama.

Undecided voter #3: Obama.

Undecided voter #4: Obama.

Luntz: This is a good night for Barack Obama.

A good night for Obama indeed. It must really suck to be working at Fox News right now. Awww - too bad.

Live blogging the presidential debate

The candidates are getting ready to come out - Olbermann is just wrapping up Countdown, the 1,995th day since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" about Iraq. (I love it that Olbermann ends every show with that.)

Anyway, Bob Schieffer is at the table, and they are ready to get started...

9:02: This debate will be on domestic issues - not a McCain strong point, so he's got a pretty steep hill to climb tonight.

The first question is about the economy and each candidate's bailout plans - McCain goes first...

9:04: McCain is talking about keeping people into their homes - a theme that gained little traction in the last debate. To be fair, I happen to agree with McCain on this issue - it's what FDR did during the Great Depression, and it's what the government needs to do now. Amazing that McCain didn't take any aim at Obama during his first response.

9:06: Obama is talking about a rescue package for the Middle Class, and he wants to implement a tax credit for companies that are keeping jobs here. Bravo - it's long overdue, and if he becomes president, I hope he is indeed aggressive in doing this. And he wants to get a package passed quickly. Very good.

9:08: Now McCain is talking about some plumber in Ohio, and how he'll help him buy his business. Corn-ball - I HATE it when candidates do this on either side. And, you think it's an accident that McLame mentions someone from Ohio? Please. Anyway, he's attacking Obama for proposing to raise taxes on small businesses.

9:09: Obama refutes Joe plumber's story, saying "he must be watching some of Senator McCain's political ads." A mild jab. I wish Obama would talk about how McCain voted to raise the self-employment tax by over 50% early in his Congressional career. Do your homework, Obama staffers!

9:11: Now McCain is practically jumping out of his chair, saying, "Why would you want to raise anyone's taxes right now?!? Here's an answer, McDrilly - 1% of Americans have 90% of the wealth in this country. It's a basic difference between the candidates and their parties - McCain drags an old GOP attack line out of the closet: "Class Warfare." Well, the GOP has been declaring its own class warfare during the last eight years. (I'll come back to this after the debate, and tomorrow.)

9:13: Now a question on the deficit. Obama is talking about "pay as you go" - and he's talking about subsidies to insurance companies - a good start. Don't forget the oil company subsidies, BO. I can guarantee that McCain will come back with a "spending freeze" sham, which would cause suffering in some areas that actually need more spending (infrastructure and homeland security, anyone?).

9:15: McCain's answer about the deficit? He's talking about home ownership, again. He also mentions Senator Clinton - a transparent attempt to court her supporters, no doubt. First whopper of the night - McCain claims that Obama has been against clean energy technologies, which is complete bullshit.

9:17: McCain is AGAIN talking about pork barrel spending. Attack him, Barack! Christ, McCain is talking about an overhead projector, AGAIN. ZZZZZ Hey curmudgeon, it didn't work in the last debate, so why are you bringing it up again? Obama is coming back with his answer, and he's not adequately attacking McCain on this issue, for the third straight debate. Call it a hat trick of points left on the table about earmarks. C'mon, Obama - hit him where it hurts!

9:20: Oooh, now it's getting personal - "Senator Obama, I'm not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago." Obama had better hit him back about his voting record. And again, McCain brings out the cliche about "standing up to his own party." Another zzz moment.

9:22: First sharp jab of the night - Obama names three things that he's voted for, after being challenged by McCranky, where he's stood up to his own party. Second haymaker of the night - Obama mentions how McCain has voted for Bush an overwhelming majority of the time on economic matters. Good.

9:24: Here comes the fireworks - Schieffer asks about taking the "high road," and he brings up examples of both sides.

McCain is lying through his crooked, yellow teeth right now! "Every time a supporter of mine has said something negative, I have repudiated it." That's the biggest lie of all three of these debates.

McCain is also going after Obama's spending, saying he can "prove" that Obama has spent more than any other candidate "in history." Good - have at it, Senator - we'll wait for that proof.

9:27: I'm delighted that Obama comes back at McCain's stupid insinuation that if Obama would have agreed to the town meetings, he would have not run the negative ads. What a joke.

9:29: Now the two candidates are jabbing about some Congressman Lewis, who drew a comparison between the many Palin rallies when people have been shouting hateful remarks, like "Terrorist!" and "Kill Him!" Obama just served up an opportunity for McCain to bring up Ayers when he mentioned that Palin has said that Obama "palls around with terrorists."

Totally gutless McCain refuses to really bring up Ayers.

9:34: Now McCain is bring up ACORN and Ayers, so maybe he's not completely gutless, but he's stoking up and enraging the base about ACORN - a staple of right-wing hate radio - what a complete bullshit story, and Obama is smiling. I hope Obama brings up the fact that McCain was ACORN's keynote speaker in 2006! Oops.

I'll come back to ACORN later.

9:35: Obama is refuting the Ayers accusations pretty effectively, as well as ACORN. I would have preferred a stronger response from Obama. I think McCain is coming completely unglued now - he's babbling about Ayers, ACORN and taxes. Yikes. I just don't think this will wash with the American people.

9:41: Now a question about the running mates. This is an opening for Obama about Palin - will he take it? So far, he's just talking about Biden and his virtues - he just paid his toll on the high road. I know McLame won't do the same - let's wait and see - he can't talk about the virtues of Palin - her popularity is just above Bush's.

9:43: Now McCain is ticking off talking points about Palin - and it's all b.s. The "breath of fresh air" McCain is talking about smells like Moose shit to me. She's dumber than a box of hammers - Obama knows it, McCain knows it, and America increasingly knows it. Know how I know McCain knows it? This woman has not held one press conference since joining the ticket, and she's held two disastrous interviews with softball journalists - Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, and an absolutely asinine interview with Sean Goebbels.

9:44: McCain just said cockamamie. I can't stop laughing.

9:46: ANOTHER whopper of a lie by McCain - that Obama told Canada "that he would unilaterally renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement." Obama did not say that. What he said is that "maybe we should look at it." And by the way, NAFTA is a total disaster - Mr. Free Trader McCain is so wrong on this issue. Free trade has destroyed this country and decimated our manufacturing capacity - Obama should at least jab him on this. McCain must be receiving lots of money from the nuclear industry, because he fellates them on a regular basis.

9:48: Obama is now talking energy, and I like his answers. He's pretty solid here.

9:50: Now McCain is attacking Obama again - criticizing Obama for saying that he'll "look at" offshore drilling. McDrilly then says that we need to "Drill now" and that it will bring down the price of oil. Offshore drilling is a bad idea, in my opinion - it will just put off making hard choices about new technologies. Despite what McCain says, domestic drilling won't "bring down the price of oil" - that's a myth. What's to stop the big oil producers from scaling back production equal to what we pull out of the ground to keep prices high? Ooops, redux.

9:54: McCain doesn't disappoint - he is a broken record, attacking Obama over and over and over again ~ to listen to McCranky, you'd think that Obama is the worst candidate ever. And McCain recycles the "sitting down with preconditions" toothless witticism again.

9:56: Finally, a question about health care. I like Obama's proposals, but he's not adequately taking it to McCain. I hope this doesn't cost Obama on election day. I don't think it will, but McCain is doing all of the attacking.

Now McCain is talking about putting health records online - that's a horrifically bad idea, period.

Now McCain is talking about his $5k tax credit, and he's talking about Joe the plumber again. How much do you want to bet right now that the media tracks this guy down tomorrow to interview him? Another needless distraction in this long, tired campaign.

Is it me, or are McCain's constant interruptions really getting annoying? Again, McDrilly just can't keep his contempt for Obama in check. This should also turn off voters - we'll see if I'm right.

Obama is now coming back about McCain's $5k tax credit. I'm happy that he's addressing it. One thing that I haven't heard discussed - what's to stop insurers from hiking up rates to sop up the $5k that taxpayers will get?

Now McCain is babbling about Obama "spreading the wealth around," to stoke up the base, again. "Class Warfare" and "Big Government" soon follow - snore.

10:03: I'm laughing now - McCain just called Obama "Senator Government" before correcting himself. An ouch moment - McCain just talked about how "the size of government has grown by over 40% during the past eight years." Who's been in the White House for the past eight years? Who has ruled Congress for six of the last eight years? Oops. McCain then catches himself and says, lamely, "By the way, who has been in charge of Congress the last two years? Democrats."

10:06: A question about Roe v. Wade, and McCain runs for cover, giving the bullshit answer that "it should be up to the states." Whenever any Repube says that, it should raise a red flag. That's talking in code for: "I don't want to answer the question, so it can't come back to bite me in the ass later." For another example, ask Dick Cheney (where's he been, anyway?) how he feels about gay marriage.

10:08: Obama defends Roe v. Wade and says "it was decided correctly." Nice. Bonus - Obama talks about the absolutely absurd Ledbetter decision about equal pay. Are you listening, women of America? Women are making 85 cents on the dollar compared to men for doing the exact same job. We need more progress in this area.

10:10: Now McCain is hitting more GOP talking points - partial-birth abortion, and voting "Present" in some of his votes. It will be interesting to see how Obama responds.

10:12: McCain's nonverbal language tonight has been pretty hilarious. Sometimes, it looks like someone is squeezing him in his dried up lemons.

10:14: Score one for Obama - speaking about partial-birth abortion, Obama said that he would vote for a ban on it if it made exceptions for threatening the life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest. Good.

I'm very happy to hear Obama talk about preventing teenage pregnancies, an allusion to the Bush administration's miserable failure - the teen abstinence program - billions have been spent. Maybe that's where McCain could balance the budget. I'm not holding my breath.

10:16: A question on education - seems like this topic has been an afterthought, but I'm glad that a question at least got asked.

10:18: Want a huge laugh? GOP stooge Drudge already has up a McCain/Obama poll about who won the debate, as well as a picture of Joe the Plumber, and a headline about voter irregularities in Ohio. He's such a GOP hack.

10:19: Obama is referring to the importance of education, and how it's a national security issue - it really is.

10:20: McCain is now talking about charter schools (As long as this doesn't mean school vouchers). I'm a vehement opponent of school vouchers and always will be, at least in their current form.

To be honest, I'm not really impressed with either candidate's answer about education. Every president since 1900 (at least so it seems) has vowed in one way or another to be the "education president," and not one has really delivered.

Obama just said that Bush "left the funding behind" for No Child Left Behind. A nice little jab to wrap up the night. He also just took aim at vouchers - kudos, Barack.

Why is McCain writing so much? What's he writing? Who's he writing to? He's probably planning the next attack ad. So much for "taking the high road, Mac.

McCranky is now dripping in his condescension toward Obama, saying that he was "surprised that you didn't pay attention" to a voucher system in D.C. You can almost see the thought bubble above his head: "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy."

McCain is now talking about refunding No Child Left Behind. Wow. I know many, and I mean dozens, of teachers who would take major issue with that.

10:25: McCain is interrupting Obama's answer about vouchers, and he comes back with more dripping sarcasm. It's a sarcasm value meal at Johnny Mac's tonight. I just don't think it'll wash. We'll know in the morning and over the coming days.

10:28: McSame is giving his closing statement - and of course, he's all but wrapping himself in the American flag.

10:30: Obama is closing, and my final thought is that it's a victory for Obama. McCain did score a few points tonight, but he sure didn't get a knock-out punch that he so desperately needed. Final debate score: Obama 3, McCain, 0. That certainly doesn't guarantee an Obama victory, though. (Just ask John Kerry and Al Gore.)

~~~
That's it - I'll be back with more in a bit.

Does Mac have the balls?

The million dollar question tonight is whether McCain actually has the balls to bring up Bill Ayers, a 60s radical that McCain and the stooges and organizations who back him have endlessly tried to tie to Obama. In fact, Sean Goebbels has been thumping this "association" for years.

Anyway, this is what McCain had to say about the Ayers issue:

"I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised that I didn’t have the guts" to bring up Ayers, McCain said on KMOX, a St. Louis radio station.

"I think he is probably ensured that it will come up this time."

McCain was responding to Obama's charge last week that the Arizona senator was willing to make attacks on the campaign trail that he would not say in person.

In many ways, I really do hope that McDrilly brings up Ayers, because it will make him look even more petty that he is. What's worse, if he does raise the issue, it will give Obama a prime opportunity to attack McCain directly about some of his shady associations. G.Gordon Liddy, anyone? Dip-Shiddy last week held a fundraiser for McSame. No big deal, you say? Well, Liddy in the past has had this to say about ATF agents: "Now if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests. ... Kill the sons of bitches." Nice!

There's more - Dip-Shiddy also concocted plans during the Nixon administration to firebomb the Brookings Institution, kidnap anti-war protesters during the 1972 Republican National Convention, and to kill liberal columnist Jack Anderson. Liddy is also a convicted felon who served 5.5 years in prison for his misdeeds during Watergate. Oh, and who freed him? That bastard Jimmy Carter!

Anyway, Liddy is an irrelevant talking head who is ignored by most. But, that's not the point. It's not a stretch to say that Liddy was involved in domestic terrorist activities. So, if McCain wants to make the mistake of bringing up the equally irrelevant Ayers, Obama should slap him down with a few facts about Liddy. That's what I'd do. Or, he could express amazement that McCain would focus on such minute, stupid details that Americans don't care about. Bet on the latter approach. After all, Obama mostly taking the high road probably has a great deal to do with why he's pulling away in the polls.

Here's what Obama had to say about the possibility of Ayers being raised in tonight's debate:

"I am surprised that, you know, we've been seeing some pretty over-the-top attacks coming out of the McCain campaign over the last several days, that he wasn't willing to say it to my face," Obama said. "But I guess we've got one last debate. So presumably, if he ends up feeling that he needs to, he will raise it during the debate."

One thing's for sure, if McCain goes there, it's going to get really interesting.

Actually, upon further reflection, if I were Obama, I'd say this if McCain goes all Ayers tonight: "You're a desperate campaigner, John. I don't think anyone cares the smears you're using to try and gain traction and favor with voters. It won't work - I feel that most Americans have grown tired of the politics of Karl Rove. I find it ironic that you're employing these tactics now, especially considering what he did to you in South Carolina in 2000." I'd love to see the look on McLame's face if Obama said it. I know he won't, but that would put McCranky in his place in a hurry.

Where are McCain's manners?

Probably the same place that his and Palin's credibility is - nowhere to be found.

I noticed the above last night, but didn't give it much thought at the time - I was busy typing about other, more important things, like the issues, etc. But, upon further reflection, it was pretty disrespectful of McCain to refer to Obama "that one" last night. Seems that McCranky can't keep his disdain for Obama to himself. It's almost as if there's a thought bubble above McCain's head that says, "I can't believe I'm losing to this rookie" or something of the such.

I'm reminded of Dole in '96, who used to actually say at campaign appearances, "Where's the outrage?" It sure wasn't at the polls, Mr. Viagra. Same thing in '92, when Bush was losing to Clinton. But, you know what? Dole and Bush at least showed respect and were deferential, and Clinton responded in kind.

There are a number of ways that McCain could have and should have referred to Obama. How about simply "my opponent" if he didn't want to say Obama by name?

And for those of you who think "that was nothing, just a slip up" and who think this may be getting over-analyzed, check the footage below. No handshake at the end of the debate? Manners, McLame, manners!

Draw your own conclusions.

Also interesting to note that McCain didn't stick around to greet members of the audience last night, too. This morning I heard Tom Brokaw on Morning Joe, and he mentioned how the Obamas stayed behind and greeted and talked with virtually everyone in the audience, but it seems that McCain didn't want any part of it - he bolted shortly after the town meeting was over.

Perhaps it's disgust at Obama's rising success? Surging poll numbers? We are left to wonder. Quite frankly, I don't really care - the poll numbers aren't lying - unless something fantastic happens, this election is Obama's to lose, at least as of today. But, there are still plenty of things to be worried about, most notably hacking the vote and voter suppression. More on that later today.

Live Blogging the Presidential Debate

Stephen Crowley, NYT

There's about 10 minutes to go, and this promises to be interesting. Here's hoping that the actual debate is heaps more interesting than the talking head nonsense I've been listening to for the last two hours. As usual, Olbermann, Matthews, Gregory and the rest of the MSNBC crew have focused on the trivial - subjects that people probably care little about: Bill Ayers, McCain's demeanor during the last debate, and endless predictions about what the candidates will say. ZZZZZZZ The only one who had much interesting to say was Olbermann, who is doing a pretty effective job of exposing the hatred and vitriol that is increasingly becoming a staple of any Palin (and John McCain's, to a certain extent) campaign appearance.

Things are going to get started, as soon as Chris Matthews shuts up. Please check back and hit Refresh, as I will update periodically when my fingers need a break from typing.

Chris Matthews actually just brought up a good point on Countdown - how troubling it is that McCain/Palin supporters are yelling out threats and hateful remarks about Obama at campaign appearances. Of course, neither can control what people yell out, but they can and must tell people that that sort of language is completely out of bounds and unacceptable. I haven't thought about it much, but Matthews raises a good point - when these hateful remarks enter the mainstream and go unanswered, "the nuts from the right and left come out," and he mentioned Lee Harvey Oswald. Matthews is right - language by any supporters of any candidate must remain civil and decent, and I certainly hope that the Secret Service takes all of these threats seriously.

They are getting ready to throw it to Brokaw - I'm interested to hear if Brokaw referees the discussion tonight, especially if McCain pulls a Palin and ignores the moderator's questions. I don't think that either candidate can get away with that in this setting. Here we go. ...

9:03: Here come the candidates, and it's no surprise that McCain made some eye contact and greeted Obama much more cordially. (Okay, I guess I'm focusing on the inane now, too - sorry.)

9:04: The first question is on the economy - no surprise there. It goes to Obama first. He characterizes the mess we're in as the "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." Absolutely. I like the fact that Obama is directly attacking the failed economic policies of Bush. I feel he came off the track already though with his mentioning the economic rescue package from last week. Booooo. But, kudos for mentioning that AIG went on a $400k junket, and he rightfully calls for that money to be returned to taxpayers and for the AIG greedy pigs to be fired. It won't happen, but I'm happy Obama said it.

9:06: McCain starts with energy independence, and I don't know that that's going to resonate. I notice that he mentions keeping taxes low, and I just don't think it's going to wash. The worst kept secret in this campaign is that the next president will have to raise taxes, period. Very FDR-esque to mention buying up mortgages - and we should - Obama should be putting forth these ideas. McCain's joke falls flat to Brokaw about his being Treasury Secretary. And he sounds a bipartisan note by looking at Obama and mentioning an Obama supporter - Warren Buffet. Edge to McCain on that question. :o/

9:08: Obama just mentioned that Warren Buffet would be a good choice for Treasury Secretary. I'll be back after I get done biting down on a cyanide capsule.

9:10: First b.s. talking point of the night - McCain just contradicts himself by saying it's a "rescue" not a "bailout," and then he proceeds to talk about greed on Wall St. I must have missed something. I knew it wouldn't take McSame long to sound like a partisan hack. Now he's attacking Obama, and he's repeating himself about stabilizing home values. What about people who don't own homes? Obama had better not let it pass that McCain's campaign manager's company was taking money from Freddie Mac up until about six weeks ago. Hit him, Barack.

9:12: I like how Obama came out with his response - "let me talk about what's in it for you..." instead of going off on a partisan attack. After that, he proceeds to attack McCain on deregulation - good. Dereg is poison in the financial markets, and I don't care what the economists say.

Brokaw is trying to trap Obama with a question during the ensuing discussion: "Are you trying to say that people need to prepare for the worst regarding the economy?" Of course, Obama says "No," and he blows it there - it IS going to get worse, but as a candidate, he can't say that.

McCain for the third time is mentioning "buying up bad mortgages" - a good idea, but how many more times will he repeat it tonight? The over/under is 8. I'll take the over. (By the way, conservatives will hate this idea, which I love - McCain really isn't conservative enough for many on the far right, and that just tickles me.) Oh yea, and who's going to pay for it? And where was McCain with this f*&$#@ idea last week - publicly pushing for this? Nowhere to be found, except trying to score political points and trying to suspend the very debates that we have watched and are watching so he could save our economy (in so many words). Talk about bold ideas... after the fact, and after McCain (and Obama, to be fair) voted Yea on a POS, pork-infested bill to bail out of Wall St.

9:18: A boring question about why should Washington be trusted with taxpayers' money. Obama's response was pretty predictable, and now McCain is pimping his resume as a "reformer" and his well-worn campaign faux witticism that "Senator Obama has never taken on a member of his own party," as if that's a prerequisite for running for president. What, no mention of Maverick?

To me, McCain is not even answering the question now - he's just attacking Obama. I don't know how this is going to play with the voters. And seriously, I'm so tired of hearing "My friends," it's making me crazy. He's just repeating a laundry list of his talking points - energy reform and eliminating our dependency on foreign oil - too bad he has consistently voted against green and alternative energy sources.

9:25: Obama mentions his proposal for $15 billion for alternative energy, and that "we can do it." Bravo. Health care is priority #2 in Obama's mind - good. Education is third, and that's good, too. I haven't heard McCain mention education yet. Obama is now going after McCain for more tax cuts for corporations. Interesting that McCain won't prioritize what's important, like Brokaw asked. Let me get this straight - you're running for president, and you can't come up with the most important thing to address in your new administration? Maybe his aides forgot to tell him what to say. Seriously, that's a pretty telling and significant gaffe.

9:27: An excellent question from a woman who lived through the Great Depression, which asks what sacrifices both candidates will ask Americans to make. McCain is now talking about a fucking overhead projector, for the second time. McDrilly, we get it. (We get how insignificant it is.) I'm waiting for McCain to get on all fours and paw the carpet, while snarling "Grrrr! Earmarks!" Again, Obama has an opportunity here regarding earmarks - will he take it? (Palin - the Princess of Pork - there are some great lines Obama could use here: "You will tell us the names of people who are looking for pork? Look on your own ticket, John." That would be a good start.)

9:29: Obama has the line of the night so far - reminding Americans what Bush wanted people to do not long after 9-11: "to go out and shop." Nice way to ask Americans to sacrifice, Dubya. I love it that Obama just mentioned Big Oil has 68 million acres of land in contracts that the aren't drilling on - the whole offshore drilling is just an opportunistic bullshit campaign borne out of greed to get more oil, OUR OIL, from underneath OUR lands. Oh yea, and Hurricane Ike did plenty of damage in the Gulf of Mexico, including plenty of oil spills, too; there goes the GOP line of b.s. about "drilling environmentally responsibly."

9:31: Obama is now on the attack about McCain's rhetoric about earmarks, which accounts for $18 billion of the federal budget. We're gonna need just a few more fat trimming of the federal budget than that, McSame.

9:35: McCain is very full of it when he's talking about how he's not in favor of tax increases for anyone. It's a total lie, and McCain knows it. He wants to keep the current tax rates, but those current tax rates FAVOR THE WEALTHY - the Bush tax cuts that McCain wants to keep in place. (Which, by the way, he was against five years ago, but now that he's running for president, he's for. Which is it?)

9:37: Brokaw is now asking a question about entitlements, and he's being disingenuous at best. Social Security will be fine for decades, and I'd love to hear Obama say that we need to raise the cap on SS from it's current rate of just over $100k per year - raise the taxable income for SS to $250k, and SS will be fine.

9:38: Obama is now coming back to McCain's mischaracterizations about tax cuts, and I'm happy that he is. McCain is trying to paint Obama as someone who will hurt small businesses, and that's bunk, too - the overwhelming majority of small businesses make less than $500,000 per year, and Obama's tax plan leaves those people alone.

9:40: McCain has just repeated himself by boasting about "taking on his own party" for the second or third time - is he going to repeat himself all night? Can we get a no-repeat debate, McSame? And stop it with the anti-lobbyist rhetoric, when you have so many lobbyists on your staff, including your campaign manager. Hit him, Barack - his gloves are down. I don't know why he doesn't exploit this opening - McCain is repeatedly giving it to him on a silver platter.

9:42: McCain is now talking about his global warming "record," if you can call it that. I'd love to hear one achievement, and so far I'm not hearing it. Now he's really on the B.S. Express talking about nuclear power - it's"safe and it's clean," eh? I beg to differ. I know that nuclear power must be part of the bridge to new energy technologies, but what will we do with the spent fuel? It's a proposal without a solution to a big problem, McSame.

I'm delighted to hear that Obama is refuting some of McCain's rhetoric about energy, specifically Obama's line when he says, "he complains that nothing has been done in Washington, but he's been there for 26 of them." Nice.

Brokaw is getting cranky about both candidates running over on time. Okay, that's fine - the more questions, the better, so keep 'em straight, Tommy Boy.

McCain is now blubbering about offshore drilling, but I don't buy for a city second that it will reduce the price of oil, and it doesn't take an economist to figure out why. I've written this many times before, and I will undoubtedly do it again - what's to stop Venezuela, Russia and Iran from scaling back production to keep the price of oil high to offset our production in would-be oil fields? In the meantime, our lands get raped, polluted and pillaged by multinational Big Oil companies, with no consequences.

9:49: A question about healthcare - this is Obama's strength - I can't wait to hear McCain's response, because his $5k tax credit is a joke, that will end up in the hands of insurance companies, according to this Website. And he must be nuts if he thinks that insurance companies won't raise the rates to sop up some of that $5k credit that Americans will get under his plan.

Here comes McCain - what line will he repeat here? Wait, wait - he wants to put health records online? He must be out of his mind. I don't want my medical records online, under any circumstances. Now McCain is on an anti-government rant- I'm so shocked, coming from a Republican. It will never cease to amaze me that America elects people to be in charge of our government, who hate government.

Is healthcare a privilege, right or a responsibility? McCain - a responsibility. Obama - it's a right. Advantage: Obama. I'm happy that Obama is refuting the myth that he is for "mandates."

One of the best lines of the night - Obama mentions that McCain voted against S-CHIP, a program that Repubes and Bush were against renewing, which gave millions of more children healthcare. I know this is true, and I remember it - I don't even need to go back and look.

9:59: McCain need a drink of water - his mouth sounds as dry as his manner and his answers. Maybe if he stops saying "My friends," his mouth wouldn't be as dry. Now McCain is calling Americans "peacemakers"; Not under this administration. I don't know how Americans feel about it, but there surely are millions around the world who are giving that line an eye roll, at best.

Wow, McCain is leaving himself more open than the town whore when it comes to his foreign policy answers. Of course, McCain mentions the Surge, all but boasting that it was a success, and of course he mentions Georgia and Russia, a sickeningly easy shot that Obama should take. I'll never forget when Georgia provoked Russia (look it up, if you don't believe me, and by looking it up, I don't mean Fox News), and McCain looked into news cameras, saying with a straight face, "We are all Georgians now." I was waiting for a drum tap, like he was joking. Oh, and we sent $1 billion to Georgia in foreign aid during the week of the Republican National Convention, a fact which received virtually no media coverage. I guess if it isn't mentioned on Faux News, then it never happened.

10:03: The Obama Doctrine - he could have and should have been much stronger in his answer. Now we get to hear the McCain Doctrine - from a guy who doesn't know a Shiite from a Sunni. To listen to McCain say it, he's never been wrong about any foreign policy decision that American's made, going all the way back to when he was in his mother's womb. Please.

10:07: A question on terrorism and Pakistan - Obama first. Obama is mentioning that the central War on Terrorism is in Pakistan (or, as he says it, Pokiston) - it is. That country, in addition to Afghanistan, is where al Qaeda is located, not in Iraq. Here comes a "rebuke" from McCain about where the front of the war on terror is - I know he'll say it.

Of course, a WHOPPER of a lie about Pakistan - Obama never, ever said that he wanted to "invade" Pakistan, and McCain knows it. Yet, he keeps on repeating this lie. It IS a lie, and McCain knows it. I can see Obama laughing in the background - I hope he has a chance to respond.

Obama is insisting on a follow-up, and McCain gets testy. So be it.

Ooo - now McCain is getting even more testy, and, dare I say it, unpresidential. Obama hits back brilliantly about Pakistan.

10:13: McCain looks really amateurish tonight during his response to Obama's response - I don't know how else to say it. He seems to be losing his composure here, talking about "getting Osama bin Laden; I know how to get him and I'll get him, no matter what." What the phuck (Philly reference) are you waiting for, McCain? Bin Laden attacked us over seven years ago - think you could drop by the Pentagon and enthrall the commanders and generals with your acumen? Empty, election-year rhetoric, period.

10:16: Now Obama is talking about Afghanistan, and I think he's right on here. "We have to have a government that is responsive to the Afghan people, and right now, it is not."

McCain is now talking about how Obama is "correct" about doubling the size of our forces in Afghanistan. Um, where are those troops coming from, McLame? I guess the folks over at Blackwater are going to start taking resumes again, and lots of them.

10:19: Now McCain is talking about Russia's behavior, regarding another Cold War. I have to tell you, he's way off base here. First, he talks about how "wealthy" Russia is. I must have missed something there. Second, people around the world must be laughing their asses off right now, hearing McCain characterizing Russia as "an aggressor." Hmm - Iraq War, anyone?

Georgia provoked the conflict with Russia, and McCain knows it. How does he know it? A former lobbyist for Georgia has a very high position in the McCain campaign; I can't remember his name, but I'll come back to this in the coming days - it gets virtually no coverage in the media.

10:26: A question about Iran and Israel, and McCain again tries to paint Obama as some sort of pussy for wanting to talk to the Iranians without preconditions. As Obama said during the last debate, "no preconditions does not mean no preparation," and I agree with him. Whatever happened to diplomacy? For all of the necrophilia that McCain fantasizes about with Ronald Reagan, one would think some of the metaphorical pillow talk could center around the value of diplomacy.

I like Obama's response - a diplomatic one, too - he cites specific examples about what happened when Bush walked away from diplomatic talks with Iran and North Korea.

10:28: The last question of the night: "What don't you know, and how will you learn it?" Of all the questions that Brokaw could pick from through Internet submissions, that's the one he picked?

I like Obama's response - that the American dream is fading, or coming into question, and it is. We do need fundamental change, and that's his answer in so many words.

McCain's answer is completely incoherent - "What I don't know is what the unexpected will be." Groundbreaking. He's all but giving his answer from the Hanoi Hilton right now with many allusions to his POW experiences, with another repeat line - "We need a steady hand at the tiller."

~~~
That's it - no knockout punches, so I have to give the advantage to Obama tonight, because McCain really needed to knock off the surging Obama with some sharp, crisp answers, and he didn't do it. Obama, again left plenty of points on the table, for the second consecutive debate. There's a fine line between being and looking presidential and hitting back when your opponent is leaving himself wide open with inaccurate assertions and blatant falsehoods.

I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow with more thoughts on the debate.

Live Blogging tonight's debate

I will keep this at the top of the blog today, so please look for new posts below this one.

I will be live blogging tonight's presidential debate between senators McCain and Obama, so please check back during the debate.

It's been a lot of fun blogging these debates, and tonight's edition should be interesting for a number of reasons: 1. It's on the economy, and 2. If either candidate decides to "take the gloves off," it could backfire. I'm also pretty curious to see if McCain can look Obama in the eyes this time at any point during the debate. I'm hoping that at some point during the debate, the two square off about the escalating negativity in the campaign. I'd love for Obama to look McCain and ask him, with hundreds of millions watching, "Senator, you've called me a liar and your running mate has said I associate with known terrorists. If there's anyone who is the liar, it's you... MAVERICK!" Okay, that will never happen, but I can dream.

Check out McSame's Premature Jubiliation

Unbelievable - from "We should postpone the debate" to "I've already won" in less than 72 hours. I guess at his age, McSame should be happy with any sort of "-tion" that comes his way, but this is pretty ballsy - declaring victory before the fact? (The above image is not Photoshopped!) We'll see how this plays out in Middle America. Wait, I'm sure all but the blogosphere will simply ignore it - God only knows if it doesn't happen in our corporate media, then it never "really happened."

Should Obama accept McCain's offer? Yep.

Wow, when John McCain's speech a few nights ago was criticized by the likes of Karl Rove (who is a McCain consultant, but Fox won't disclose that on air) and the detestable William Kristol (see video above), then he must be doing something wrong.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but kudos to Kristol for pointing out what many in the liberal blogosphere already have (including me, yesterday) - that McCain's slogan is just a tad unoriginal, to say the least.

Anyway, the debate is now raging - should Obama accept McCain's invitation to 10 town hall meetings, or not?

Obama should, without hesitation, because McSame is already in desperation mode. The GOP, McCain and Fox News all wanted to face Hillary Clinton so badly, and now they have to go against an upstart like Obama, who looks like the next coming of all things great when standing next to McCain. Obama holds most of, if not all of the cards right now, so why should he do McCain any favors? He shouldn't, but actually I do hope that Obama takes him up on this offer. Yes, it would help McCain, MAYBE, but I think Obama would wipe the floor with McCain's chubby cheeks, because McCain doesn't have the first damn clue about the first damn clue. Remember McSame's miscues about Iran and foreign policy? He would turn into a gaffe machine on the stage when put on the spot. I think Obama saying no sends a bad message. I want to see some Obama fearlessness by saying, "Yea, let's do it, old man."

Bring on the town hall meetings, and some McCain beatings. It could get ugly for McCain, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, at all.

Dem debate tonight @ 9; I'll live-blog it

The Democratic presidential candidates are here in Philadelphia for another debate tonight ~ this time it's at Drexel University, just a stone's throw from where we live. (At left, workers prep the room for tonight's big donkey showdown.) I thought about going over there tonight to try and hear what's going on and maybe even get some pictures, but I decided against it - I'm sure security there will be tight and intense, and I'd much rather be in front of the TV where I can hear everything.

The debate starts at 9 p.m. tonight on MSNBC, and I will live blog it, so check back often for my thoughts on how things are going. Downer ~ it's been hosted by the intolerably arrogant Brian Williams. I won't even get into why I dislike him - I've blogged about that at length already.

Anyway, it should be interesting tonight to see how the front runners do, and how they attack each other. The Iowa Caucus for the Democrats is scheduled for January 14, just two-and-a-half months away. It's go time, and the heat is getting turned up on the likes of John Edwards and Bill Richardson, both of whom are sagging quite badly in the polls.

Candidate vid of the night from debate

I wrote about this before, but I think this was easily the best political advertisement that was shown during the Democratic debate tonight.

I like the fact that Edwards is taking on this early embarrassment head on, thereby largely taking it away as any sort of campaign issue. His frickin' hair and how much he spends on it is immaterial to me - I don't really care. It's just the mainstream media's infotainment reporting that should have no bearing on the campaign, just as Mitt Romney's money spent on a make-up appointment before a debate is equally stupid.

LiveBlog: Dem debate tonight at 7

The Democratic debate tonight on CNN should be an interesting one - viewers can submit their questions via YouTube, and their questions may get used during the debate.

I will be live blogging the debate tonight - it begins at 7 p.m. EST on CNN.

I just saw a piece this morning that opined that some people are already tired of the presidential candidate debates. Perhaps many do already have debate fatigue, but in my view, that's absurd. With the myraid of issues and their consequences, every American should be following the issues and voting accordingly.

After all, following the Bush Presidency, never again will anyone in America be able to say, "What happens in Washington, D.C. doesn't affect me."