I watched the debate last night, but was largely uninterested. Obama had a clear lead, both in the nation and in all key battleground states.

The best way for McCain to close that gap was to win this debate resoundingly. Knowing Obama’s oratory gifts, relying on him to make a mistake would not be prudent, so McCain would have to go on the attack. Neither candidate was wholly impressive, and despite what some may think about my political leanings, I am uninspired by these candidates, and the knowledge that one of them will be our president soon does not inspire me. I do think Obama will do less harm, but that is hardly a ringing endorsement.

The winner of the debate? Unquestionably Tom Brokaw. In what I see as a microcosm of Washington elite (a label that both of these gentlemen espouse to run from), Brokaw had to keep reminding the men that the rules they both agreed upon were being trampled upon. At least a half dozen times Brokaw, at a loss for words said “These are rules that you have agreed upon beforehand,” and grew increasingly flustered. At one point, Brokaw said, “Hey, I am just hired help here.” He lost control of these men who had their own agenda, and were not going to let something as trivial as agreed upon rules constrain what they wanted to get out on the air. It was not lost on me that this is exactly the problem going on in Washington and on Wall Street, where rules are agreed upon, painstakingly at times, and then ignored by the people who spent so much time and energy to get the rules in the books. It was sad to see a newsman of such repute as Brokaw resigned to the fact that he was refereeing a free for all. It was as if the two camps spent hours deciding on the rules, bickered back and forth, made sure that Brokaw was aware and willing to enforce the rules, and then went out there and did and said whatever they wanted for as long as they wanted. Brokaw at one point mentioned the lights surrounding the stage. They were there to serve as unobtrusive guidelines as to when time was up and answers should be wrapped up. Both candidates knew that Brokaw was way too classy to interrupt the future president of the United States , even if it was only to enforce the rules they so strenuously argued and agreed upon. Shame on both of them for putting him in this position.

Although both camps repeated many of the same mistruths, half-truths, and downright fabrications, new ground was covered. McCain looked old. And ornery. And rude. I understand that he spent time in a POW camp and that he has physical limitations. But, he looked like a robot. Remember months ago, when both of these gentlemen locked up their respective parties nominations and said that this would be a campaign about the issues? Well, the issues only work when you are winning. And even McCain knows he is losing. He attacked Obama’s record, he attacked Obama’s voting trends and his ideas. He finally looked at Obama, if only briefly during the handshake, but at one point referred to him as “that one.” How rude. It was like at a party, and one of the guests has had too much to drink and thinks they are being so witty, but everyone else knows what they are being: Rude.

Obama, an avid basketballer, knew what he was doing, running out the clock. Being securely ahead, the only danger for him was stumbling badly, or getting dirty with McCain. He was not terribly impressive. He did not take anything personally. He did not make anything personal. This kept him out of the mud, but I wonder if it will hurt him with voters. I would have loved to see an exchange like: “Perhaps this is one more thing that I don’t understand, how a fellow senator will not refer to me by name, referring to me as that one. I would never let this contest between the two of us degrade or erode my respect for the Senator that much to refer to him, or anyone else that way. If nothing else, at the end of this, one of us may be returning to the Senate where we will inevitably and hopefully rely upon this experience to shape our future policies. No matter what happens here, when I am elected President, I will rely, in fact I will insist upon the help and guidance of the distinguished senator from Arizona , and will refer to him as nothing other than that.”

It was, in my opinion, the end of the road for the McCain. Perhaps he should have mustered some of this grit 8 years ago when Gee Dubs was questioning and attacking his family and everything else. That would have been a good place for him to go on the attack and throw a little rudeness back, as plenty was coming his way. I dare say that if he had done it then, we may have had the pleasure of enjoying a McCain presidency (certainly without the burden of Palin). But, McCain could not do it then, because he knows it is wrong to act like that. And last night too he knew it was wrong, but with his back against the wall, he had to try it all. A good soldier tells you that you don’t leave a trick in the book, a weapon unfired. McCain is indeed a good soldier who may have been a great president 8 years ago.

All right, so it wasn’t brief…

Who cashed in on the Patriots Sunday?

~J. Burrows