Angry McCain falters down the stretch
John McCain came out swinging in the third and final Presidential Debate. He seemed intent on his promise to “kick Obama’s you know what” at Hofstra Wednesday night.
But somewhere between hello and goodnight, Senator McCain let his temper get the best of him. Maybe his campaign didn’t tell him about the split-screen that would capture his every move. He had a bad case of the Al Gores through the second half of the debate, huffing and rolling his eyes quite a bit.
In CBS Poll, fifty-three percent of uncommitted voters surveyed said Barack Obama was the winner of Wednesday’s debate. Twenty-two percent said McCain won. Twenty-five percent saw the debate as a tie. A CNN poll taken after the debate found the same thing.
McCain never really recovered from Bob Schieffer’s turning the debate towards the candidates’ views on attack politics. Obama really turned the corner there with his explanation of who he “pals around with,” Republicans who have served on boards with Bill Ayers, and rising above the fray. McCain drove the low road express right into the gutter and where people aren’t willing to go this time.
Obama continues to be seen as a front runner after the debate but in an early morning breakfast on Thursday, he warns supports against overconfidence. This comes from Ben Smith’s Politico Blog:
At a breakfast fundraiser this morning, Obama used the example of the New Hampshire primary, when he lost to Hillary Rodham Clinton after a huge win in Iowa, to warn his supporters against overconfidence, Carrie Budoff Brown reports.
Otherwise, they may get “spanked,” he said.
“For those of you who are feeling giddy or cocky or think this is all set, I just have two words for you: New Hampshire,” Mr. Obama told top contributors at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. “I’ve been in these positions before when we were favored and the press starts getting carried away and we end up getting spanked.”
He added, “That’s another good lesson that Hillary Clinton taught me, so we want to make sure that we are closing strong, running through the tape.”
Less than 3 weeks, and I can’t wait for this to be over. And someone please tell Joe the Plumber I said hello.
