THE FINAL DEBATE

The third and final debate between the presidential candidates was...not entirely unlike the first two. The biggest difference was the fourteen point lead Obama has opened up in the polls. McCain’s frustration at Obama’s success was palpable.

The physical set-up helped. The candidates’ close proximity to one another created tension, promoted confrontation, and gave the audience a more intimate look at how each one might behave in a meeting. McCain is obviously less comfortable with himself than Obama, and it showed. He kept eyeing the younger man with astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe this rookie was trying to take away his presidency.

Bob Schieffer performed like a pro. Also aided by the set-up, which put him right in front of the debaters, he asked relevant, difficult questions, and more importantly, follow-up questions. He couldn’t force the two men to stick to the subject of course, but he did his best not to let them off the hook.

It was clear that each candidate had learned from the previous debates. McCain spent more time looking directly at Obama, while Obama spent more time looking directly at the camera. Both men, unfortunately, spent too much time directly addressing (and pandering to) “Joe the plumber.”

There was some post-debate criticism of Obama for not going on the attack, for not striking back at Gov. Palin when he was offered the opportunity. But whatever else Obama may be, he is a savvy politician. He has a fourteen point lead. If the polls are off by 50% he still has a seven point lead. This is not the time to get even, this is the time to hold your ground and look presidential - calm, cool, collected, and presidential.

Lending a surrealistic touch to the debate, McCain followed an obvious bit of coaching at the end by leaping to his feet, shaking Obama’s hand, and saying, “Good job!”, an imitation of what Obama did in the first debate. These two guys are vying for the most important job in the country, perhaps in the world. They have just accused each other on national television of everything from treason to senility. And yet they shake hands as if it were a little one-on-one in the Senate gym and they’re just good sports. If I though it would add a sense of realism to the process, I’d prefer a bit more hostility.