1. About McCain telling rather than showing: My husband said that precise thing tonight, that McCain just had to keep reiterating that he knows about adoption, that Palin knows about Autism (That was a huh moment, too, given that her kid has Down's, not Autism), that he knows about bucking his party, etc. It reminds me so much of an argument I had over the summer with my sister-in-law about health care. She's an OT and just kept saying "I'm in the health care industry. I have credibility. I'm the one who knows this issue." Meanwhile she never made any kind of coherent argument about the issue, she just kept expecting that her job was going to convince me that I should simply adopt her position. That would be fine if there weren't controversy within the field, for goddsakes. It's not like every single person in the health care industry--in all facets--is against health care reform.

2. Yeah on that "Brokaw's not my economic choice" moment from last debate. What a hoot. Just uncomfortable to watch. A "social silencer" moment, as my husband would call it.

3. I used the word "preternaturally" earlier today. It's been a long time. Great word.

4. I had a debate watch party tonight at my house, so it was really fun. I'm getting to know all the liberals in Strongsville, who've come out of the woodwork to work for the Obama campaign since that awful McCain appearance here.

5. I've got a VIP pass to see Bill Clinton tomorrow (from Obama field organizer); it will be interesting to see how supportive of BO he is.

6. Did everyone see the debate in split screen? I watched on CNN. It was pretty relevant in terms of seeing McCain's goofy facial expressions.

7. I don't know why I feel the need to number things tonight. I'm very linear in my thinking. I wish I had Obama's brain.

Apparently unlike others, I saw this debate as the one with the biggest differential in the candidates. I thought Obama cleaned McCain's clock. I was surprised at MSNBC and CNN in their take, but then remembered that the biggest bias of all in the media is a close race.

1. Demeanor: BO just completely nailed it. McCain looked sort of uncomfortable, angry, tense, shifty-eyed all night long.

2. Agree with Joan about the free trade agreement discussion. BO looked smooth even knowing that assassination thing as well as some other Peruvian agreement, etc. All's I could think as I watched McCain was that he was praying the topic didn't come back to him and he'd have to pretend to know WTF Obama was talking about. Generally, that doesn't happen with these two. McCain, unlike GWB, does actually usually know issues.

3. McCain made weird connections, like he incites his audiences to call BO a terrorist b/c BO wouldn't do town hall meetings? huh? And using really escalated rhetoric about Obama's "lowest, nastiest race in the history of the world" (paraphrasing here) and then tying it to the bowing out of public financing decision by Obama. What's the connection? Honesty or hypocrisy or something I guess, but it was really a stretch. The question clearly related to the personal character attacks. And all's McCain could come up with was the public financing thing? There were other weird places McCain went that I just didn't get.

4. Obama won the health care debate hands down. McCain kept trying to demonize his plan, but Obama had only to say, "I just told you my plan. You decide." (paraphrased)

5. Since when do plumbers make so much money? Why are we all sending our kids to college?

6. What's with all McCain's faces? His countenance was the opposite of a poker face. Other than smiling at some absurdities, Obama remains relatively inscrutable, while McCain is transparent. Who wants that in a world leader at a diplomacy table with Achmadinejad or Putin?

7. I thought Obama's explanation of his Ayers connection was coherent and clear and amounted to a dispatch of the entire subject. Anyone who keeps bringing this up is a dolt. I think he could have added to the ACORN topic two things: he certainly doesn't endorse the activities that those quota-driven, minimum-wage-earning people did; and voter registration fraud doesn't equal voter fraud. Some people literally don't understand what went on there, and he could have made it clear that the homeless guy who signed 20 forms not only wasn't going to vote 20 times, he wasn't going to vote once.

8. Finally, what a stinking straw man, that business by McCain of turning the "negative attacks on Obama" into faux outrage at Congressman Lewis's remarks or some kind of completely made up need for a defense of his rally attendees. That just drove me crazy.

I was heartened to see the video of McCain reacting to the woman who didn't trust Obama and thought he was Arab. Skipping the Arab slur, my sense is that McCain was genuine there. When I first heard of the incident, it occurred to me that it could be a plant, but I don't think thoughtful viewers could possibly come to that conclusion when seeing it with your own eyes. His nodding first as she started with the "trust" thing was automatic and it took him a delayed second to realize she'd gone into "Arab" territory. I don't know--I simply don't think that was fake. That having been said, I do think he realized in that split second that he had a great idea on his hands--a new theme, as it were: to defend Obama at every turn and be acquitted of his previous reputation of inciting hate and maligning Obama's character.

Just looked at that vid where the guy complains about the socialist hooligans. What a hoot! He's angry as hell and can't take it anymore!!!! Wait a minute....oh.....it's HIS party that ran the country into the ground the last 8 years. Never mind.

It's fucking embarrassing.

Just brilliant. Joan, you must break your no-star policy just for a day so you can highlight Hutman's last letter.