9:10 PM: wasn’t going to liveblog tonight, but I have to say — what’s up with McCain tonight? Yeah, I get that the points he’s trying to make are a bit more brutal than he’s tried before, but his demeanor is just rambling and repetitive. He reminds me of Old Cranky Guy (who won’t let the young guy complete a sentence).
9:13 PM: someone should have told McCain that his stripey tie makes weird moire patterns on non-HD sets. (Hmm… Obama’s too.)
9:16 PM: Bob signs on for neo-Hooverism. Obama signs on. McCain waves his magic wand to increase home values, but digresses from spending cuts before talking about his spending freeze (which apparently won’t freeze much after his exceptions). Trust him, he knows how to cut programs.
9:19 PM: Again with the overhead projector. John, it’s a planetarium projector. The one at the Franklin Institute constituted about 85% of my science education in elementary school. And it’s damn cool.
9:20 PM: I still don’t understand why a man in office for eight years submitted only five budgets.
9:21 PM: “If you wanted to run against George Bush…”, McCain’s rehearsed line, probably came about two months too late. He’s clearly pleased with himself, didn’t get to see if there was a tongue jut to go with it. What’s the over-under on whether McCain repeats himself in the next 70 minutes?
9:23 PM: “Even Fox News disputes it.” Okay, I laughed out loud when Obama said that.
9:24 PM: I don’t know what that puffy thing on the side of McCain’s face is, but it’s much puffier tonight. And McCain seems to enjoy talking over both Obama and the moderator.
9:25 PM: Bonus points for the “will you say this to his face” question. McCain whiffs the answer by talking about it’s because mean Barack wouldn’t talk to him 10 more times. Huh? Says that the problem is John Lewis. Yeah, it’s not about the people calling for presidential assassinations at McCain’s rallies. Three minutes in, McCain hasn’t said one word about what his campaign is saying.
9:28 PM: McCain lies about his campaign while discussing the conduct of his campaign. Wow, he really is turning to Sarah Palin for advice.
9:30 PM: McCain is pissed that he can’t afford to run ads during sporting events like Obama can.
9:33 PM: Geez, McCain cannot keep his mouth shut when Obama is talking. Am I crazy or is does this seem like it’s verging on psychological? And what the hell does military hats have to do with the point? Another lie: “I have repudiated every who’s out of line.” That’s about the most ridiculous statement he can make about it.
9:36 PM: Alright, we get to hear McCain going wingbat for the first time.
9:37 PM: I have also spent time being funded by Walter Annenberg. I guess I should be on the no-fly list, too.
9:39 PM: Does McCain realize that he just lost the point, and he’s just digging himself deeper now?
9:40 PM: “Why is your running mate better?” I heart Bob Schieffer.
9:42 PM: If I were a woman, I think I’d be really annoyed that McCain thinks Palin is my role model.
9:43 PM: “To sweep out the old-boy network and cronyism that I’ve fought against all these years.” That is a quote. Really, why tear down McCain when he’s doing it himself so well?
9:45 PM: Obama deliberately whiffs the Palin qualification question, but nice segue from autism to spending freeze. McCain sees Iraq uniting.
9:46 PM: Alright. The Republican administration just past spent $5 trillion more than they took in. If that doesn’t cause a national moratorium on Republicans calling Democrats spendthrifts, then we need to do some serious activism on the topic.
9:47 PM: The Republican just said, “you can’t just unilaterally renegotiate treaties”. Ibid.
9:49 PM: Obama again talks drilling the one year’s worth of oil we have offshore, which loses Jeff points, but he regains most of them by pointing out immediately that it’s an unsustainable idea.
9:51 PM: McCain, of course, implies that drilling at home will solve all our problems.
9:52 PM: There’s that tongue jut, when McCain said that Obama never went south. And his smile got wider. He’s running through his debate point checklist, but I think the problem is that it’s not about debating points, it’s about going for a clear win that he’s just not getting.
9:56 PM: Fill me in here: does anyone think it’s credible to compare a 2008 Democrat to a 1928 Republican?
9:59 PM: How does McCain get his clinics and programs during a spending freeze?
9:59 PM: Prediction: “Joe the Plumber” is going to be an Internet joke meme for the next eighteen months.
10:03 PM: I’ve realized what’s so creepy about McCain’s smile. He’s doing the best he can to seem bemused and confident, regardless of what’s being said. But we’re not discussing bemusing things. Compare that to Obama — he’s smiling in response to things McCain actually says. Otherwise, he seems, well, neutral.
10:05 PM: McCain continues to repeat things that, if not lies, are at least in direct conflict with what Obama says. And in that case, it comes down to what you say to support your assertions, and I think Obama is actually bothering to do that in a way that McCain isn’t.
10:08 PM: “I will find the best people in the world” for the Supreme Court. Another laugh out loud moment.
10:11 PM: Washington Monthly thinks McCain looks angry. No, I think he’s doing everything in his power not to look angry. Whether he is or not, I’m not sure. Wouldn’t blame him if he is, because he seems to be blowing it.
10:15 PM: John, being “eloquent” is not an insult. Is this supposed to win over the undecideds, that the other guy is too good?
10:20 PM: Pardon me if this is an unfair question, but how exactly is a retired soldier automatically qualified to teach children by virtue of his military service?
10:23 PM: McCain just forgot Michelle Obama’s name.
10:25 PM: After a strong middle, McCain is reverting to old man ramble in the homestretch.
10:37 PM: Thought Obama’s closing was surprisingly weak.
Overall: I think this could have gone for three hours. Much better discussion, much better television.