Wednesday, October 15, 2008

McCain-Obama III

I missed the beginning of the debate. So I missed the part where McCain told Obama and I'm paraphrasing, "I'm not President Bush. You should have run four years ago." While that got a pop McCain played into Obama's mantra which has defined him as another four years of President Bush. Obama was able to say if he was confused it was because McCain voted with Bush almost every time.

McCain got a few punches when he mentioned Joe Wurzelbacher, the plumber from Toledo, Ohio who confronted Obama about his tax policy the other day. When Wurzelbacher asked Obama if he would raise his taxes Obama said he wasn't looking to raise taxes but rather "spread the wealth." McCain spoke about Joe the Plumber on taxes and health care and that was McCain at his best. It's too bad Joe the Plumber wasn't debating Obama tonight.

Even when McCain landed some good punches Obama absorbed them. When debating free trade, McCain asked Obama how he could oppose free trade with our ally Colombia and yet be willing to sit across the table from our enemy Hugo Chavez without precondition. If McCain had said Ahmadinejad it would have packed more of a punch. Does Joe the Plumber know who Hugo Chavez is? Or for that matter Bill Ayers or ACORN?

When McCain assailed Obama about John Lewis' remarks Obama distanced himself from Lewis and said it wasn't about McCain or Obama but about the American people. McCain did well against Obama on education with respect to vouchers but it was the last question of the night so I wonder if people had tuned out by that point.

McCain had to either knock out Obama or leave him bruised and bloodied. He did neither.

The only way Obama loses is if Joe The Plumber endorses McCain. That's assuming he doesn't decide to vote for Obama. Failing that McCain would need bin Laden to make an audiotape welcoming an Obama Administration.

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