OBAMA VANQUISHES MCCAIN IN FINAL DEBATE

John McCain needed both a monumental performance and an Obama catastrophe to ignite a comeback. Instead, he appeared tired and agitated, while Obama delivered his strongest performance of the three debates.

TUESDAY DEBATE: WHAT DON'T YOU KNOW AND HOW WILL YOU LEARN IT?

DARK DAYS: LEADERSHIP VACUUM AT FIRST DEBATE

It was a simple question: What do you think of this bailout plan?

Although the official subject of this first presidential debate was foreign policy and national security, let's not kid ourselves--Americans tuned in to hear at least one of the presidential candidates deliver a straight answer about how they intend lead this country--both Wall Street and Main Street--through the economic crisis.

It could have been a defining moment for either candidate--a chance to demonstrate that they are indeed an Agent of Change, a Maverick, or whatever else they might claim to be. McCain could have proven that he does have mastery over basic economics. Barack Obama could have proven that he is indeed a Washington outsider committed to reform.

Instead, both McCain and Obama acted like dime-a-dozen, poll chasing politicians, afraid of making enemies or losing votes. They resorted to sacharine rhetoric and empty promises. Vote for me! I can lower taxes, improve and expand government programs, and save the economy!

So what's next: All of the drinking fountains will pour chocolate milk?

Safe to say I am not the only Obama supporter who was sorely disappointed tonight. This was the moment he had been waiting for, a moment when his leadership was sorely needed, but instead, he took the safe bet. He leads in the polls--in particular on economic issues, and so he chose to take a soft stance on the bailout plan and hope for McCain to make a critical mistake.

Well, here's a news flash--McCain didn't make a mistake. He may not have scored a touchdown, but he didn't fumble the ball, either. In a race this close, a draw is a win for McCain, and Barack Obama may have squandered one of his opportunities to break away in this race.

As for the remainder of the debate, did either candidate say anything they haven't said a dozen times already?

Tonight, the burden of proof was on John McCain. Millions of Americans tuned in expecting him to implode, expecting Barack Obama to demonstrate that he can indeed be the leader America needs. The contrast between the two candidates should have been crystal clear. Instead, what we saw was a stubborn but experienced old man, and a young, overly confident upstart content to ride the polls. As different as they may be, both were a disappointment.

The real loser tonight was the American voter.

HAS HE DONE HIS HOMEWORK? 4 QUESTIONS FOR JOHN MCCAIN

Finished with his political theater, John McCain is now ready to resume his campaign. He will travel to Oxford, Mississippi to debate Barack Obama tonight at 9 p.m. EST.

McCain's decision earlier this week to "suspend" his campaign to address the financial crisis may prove to the largest misstep of his campaign thus far. I understand his intentions--and perhaps he was actually acting in good faith--but the notion that he had to be present to contribute to the talks in Washington is absurd, and only seemed to complicate matters.

In trying to seem above politics, McCain ended up looking desperate and unprepared. If he suffers in tonight's debate, look for his campaign to justify his performance by claiming that he was "focused on what matters--the economy," or other such nonsense.

If McCain was so integral to these talks, I'd like to see him answer these four questions tonight:

1. What is the number one risk of the proposed bailout plan?
2. What is the number one risk of not passing the proposed bailout plan?
3. What specific types of assets should the treasury purchase and why?
   
4. What is your plan for protecting the long term strength of the U.S. dollar?

If John McCain can speak specifically to these sorts of questions, then we will know that he was actually doing his homework this week. If not, then we know that the "suspension" of his campaign was a total sham.

Barack Obama will be ready with the answers, guaranteed.

Obama Wins Texas Debate

Barack Obama maintained his front runner status tonight in a cordial, upbeat debate with Hillary Clinton.

After winning 10 states in a row, Barack Obama had nothing to gain by going on the offensive. Clinton's campaign is on such tenuous ground that she could not afford to go on the offensive. As a result, the tone of the debate was in stark contrast with previous encounters. The candidates praised each other routinely, acknowledging similarities in their policies while also trying to highlight their differences on immigration, health care, and Iraq.

Both candidates showed signs of fatigue, with Obama suffering from nasal congestion and Clinton simply looking dog tired. Despite the exhaustion of criss-crossing Texas for days, neither candidate stumbled, and in the event of a draw, you have to give this one to Obama. This was one of Hillary Clinton's only opportunities to revive her campaign, and in that sense, she failed to capitalize.

In Hillary's uncharacteristically generous comments toward Barack Obama near the end of the debate, I couldn't help but feel like she was trying to make up for the nastiness of her earlier campaign. Unfortunately, she cannot sweet talk her opponent at debates only to slander him on the stump. Fortunately, most viewers will realize that when she takes the stage at her next event tomorrow, she'll be back to ripping on Obama.

One final note: Cheers to Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos for his excellent questions tonight. His direct, straightforward questions on Cuba, immigration, and Iraq were highlights of the debate. I hope we see him more often in future debates.

Lone Star Showdown!

Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. EST for the 19th democratic debate! Visit Trailhead at Slate.com for live analysis.

Gloves Come Off in South Carolina

Wow. This was a debate not to be missed. Although I do miss the days of having Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich on stage, it was refreshing to see a debate focused on three candidates. (Although, let's be honest, at times it felt like two.)

I appreciated the format, one hour of traditional debate followed by a second hour of sit-down conversation. There were certainly more fireworks in the first hours, however. Obama delivered his promise to take the Clintons to task for their mudslinging campaign of late, and Clinton wasted no time counterattacking. For about twenty minutes, I felt like I was just listening to Obama defend himself from both sides. I think there's no doubt that both Clinton and Edwards used this debate as an opportunity to put Obama on his heels. Given his success among black voters in Nevada, there's no doubt that both Clinton and Edwards benefit from taking shots at him here.

Ultimately, Edwards walked away the winner in the first hour, refusing to engage in the harsh and often child-like squabble between Clinton and Obama.

My vote for the line of the night goes to Obama, who responded to a question about whether Bill Clinton really was the first black president by complimenting Clinton's support of the African-American community, but added that he would have to see Bill Clinton dance before he could determine if "he was a brother."

The second hour was much calmer. I'd be curious to know what, if anything, the candidates said to each other during the intermission. In the second half, though, the tone mellowed out a bit. I did appreciate that the three candidates did manage to come together to have a conversation about larger Democratic strategy versus the Republicans in 2008.

Overall, if you missed this one, I recommend watching the impending replay. If I had to choose a winner here it would be Edwards, only in the sense that he managed to avoid walking away with battle scars.

If you want some sparse, surface level analysis of the debate, check out my meager "Live Blogging" of the debate below. I thought I would give that whole Live Blogging thing a try. Not so thrilling. Maybe I'm not so good at multi-tasking. I would rather just blog, or watch the debate. Rest assured, BlogObama08 readers, for you benefit and mine, that I will never try that again.

Obama vs. Clinton, Round 1

Hillary Clinton wasted no time attacking Barack Obama after Monday night's CNN/YouTube debate. Answering a question about foreign policy, Obama said he would try to reverse the damage done by the Bush administrations bellicose diplomacy by meeting with the leaders of nations such as Iran, Cuba, and North Korea, without conditions, within the first year of his presidency.

In her ongoing campaign to appear tough, Clinton attacked Obama the next day, declaring his policy propositions "irresponsible and naive." According to Clinton, meeting with these renegade leaders without conditions and without initial diplomatic envoys would diminish the prestige and power of the American presidency.

Oh yes. Of course. The Office of the President is so prestigious and powerful these days.

Anyway, Obama was quick to clarify his intentions. "The notion that I was somehow going to be inviting them over for tea next week without having initial envoys meet is ridiculous," he said in an interview outside his office. "But the general principle is one that I think Senator Clinton is wrong on, and that is if we are laying out preconditions that prevent us from speaking frankly to these folks, then we are continuing with Bush-Cheney policies."

Hillary obviously didn't have many qualms with Bush-Cheney policies when she authorized the president's initial authorization to go to invade Iraq.

"But that was years ago," you might say. Well, when Clinton can demonstrate that her judgement has improved since that vote, maybe she'll earn some more credibility on the Iraq issue.

In the meantime, it's the same story with the former first lady: Act tough on defense and foreign policy. It's what she thinks the voters want, and so she is willing to play that role. It's what she was doing when she authorized the invasion of Iraq. It's what she is doing now when she criticizes Barack Obama for wanting to use diplomacy instead of sanctions and warheads.

CNN\YouTube Debate Challenges Top Candidates

I have to hand it to the folks over at CNN and YouTube who put together tonight's Democratic debate live on CNN--the event was a pleasure to watch.

The debate format, which allowed "everyday Americans" to submit questions to the candidates via YouTube, offered viewers the chance to see the candidates struggle with some of the most difficult questions put to them during this campaign so far.

YouTube viewers posed questions on a broad variety of topics from Darfur to gun control, gay rights to health care, and of course, Iraq. The best part about this innovate format? Most candidates squirmed when faced with this eclectic mix of questions from concerned and curious voters.

When all is said and done, the format underscored how voters want to be spared canned soundbites from the candidates. Unfortunately, most of the candidates, particularly those in the "top tier," struggled to deviate from their stump speeches.

If any candidates came away winners in tonight's debate, it was those in the "second tier." The CNN/YouTube debate allowed Biden, Richardson, Dodd, Kucinich, and even grumpy ol' Mike Gravel a chance to let their personalities and their ideas shine.

Was the debate as "historic" as CNN would like us to believe? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: The format nudged candidates away from their stump rhetoric and allowed second tier candidates an opportunity to be heard. That can only be a good thing for a democracy.

Obama Weekend Reading

• From the Guardian Unlimited: Obama calls for debate footage to be publicly available "for free and without restriction."

• From the Chicago Tribune: Pill-popping loud mouth Rush Limbaugh continues to bombard his audience with his patently racist "Barack the Magic Negro" song.

• From the Washington Post: Columnist Sally Quinn on why Barack Obama needs to introduce America to his staff.

• From the Associated Press: How presidential candidates pay for the private jets and charters they use to dart around the country.