To be honest last night was McCain's best debate out of the three...

[LynneSin]

....the problem was this:

It was too little too late
He started strong but then pretty much slowed down to a crawl by the end of the debate
Even at McCain's best he still was NOT as good as Obama, who personally I thought this was the worst of Obama's 3 debate performances. But Obama's worst debate still was better than McCain's best and that's not going to win McCain any elections.

I think there were spots where Obama really could have nailed McCain when it came to Ayers, ACORN and a few other key issues but I think Obama's game plan was to play this one safe. I think someone on MSNBC pointed out the obvious - this is like a prizefighter in the late rounds that knows he's ahead in points and doesn't want to do anything to compromise his win.

I look forward to 4 years of President Obama!

[SoonerPride]

1. I thought it was his worst.

Sitting side by side and the reaction shots on screen really made him seem like a whack job.

The one where they stood on stage at lecterns that made them appear of equal height was his best, even though he never looked at Obama.

This one was just unnerving to me.

[Neecy]

6. I thought it was his worst, too

First of all, he didn't stay on point in any of his answers. He'd be talking about health care or something and then spout off about 'spreading the wealth' or taxes. It made him look senile and confused.

And the anger finished him. Honestly, unless you were a hardcore Rethug would you really want to be subjected to an angry nutter for the next four years? Plus he looked unstable, the last characteristic you want in someone who has a finger on the button. It's one thing to be spirited but he was absolutely seething. And the snorting and mugging were just bizarre, weird.

I thought he was terrible, just awful. And I'm trying to be objective because I know undecided voters might see it through different eyes - but how could they miss it?

[LisaM]

16. I thought McCain's performance was his worst, too

I thought the whole Joe the Plumber meme was hokey as hell and I figured everyone would laugh their asses off at it. Like I'm hoping the government "steals" Joe's money and spreads it around to people like me! Who would fall for that nonsense?

The pundits, apparently.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I thought it was the best debate of the three and McCain was better last

night than he has been before. However, he still didn't come close to matching Obama's performance and came across looking like a bitter old man and not someone that I want sitting in the Oval Office. A definite win for Obama, hands down.

[Alter Ego]

3. I think he did better, but he still got beaten badly

because he came off as frantic, panicked, and frustrated.

[NotThisTime]

13. Exactly, his best debate still SUCKS... sorry John...

[Zuiderelle]

4. In my opinion, it was his worst. And the last 30 minutes killed him.

Only the hardest right-wing fundamentalists believe that a pregnant woman's health is less important than an undeveloped fetus inside her.

He made some HUGE mistakes last night. Not the least of which was his tiresome repetition of Joe the Plumber's concerns, who it's starting to look like is a farce, not actually a plumber, an admitted conservative, doesn't believe in taxes and social security. Hardly representative of the common man.

McCain = Fail

[LynneSin]

5. Well I'm comparing McCain to McCain's standards only

which is a pretty low standard to start with

[SoonerPride]

8. To me it was the split screen thing which made this his worst debate.

Eye rolling, snorting, blinking like a maniac, weird facial ticks, snake-like tongue flicks, and a clear seething temper were very distracting and made for a very bizarre portrayal on television.

The first more forma debate fell flat on policy and his aversion to looking Obaa in the eye, but was far better because at least his mug wasn't on screen the whole time looking like a nutjob.

[Morning Dew]

7. how it played on radio

In the first debate, McCain came off kind of OK on the radio but when I watched the PBS replay his anger was readily apparent and he came off much, much worse.

Last night, I did the radio version first again ( I was at work and couldn't watch) and McCain came off as angry, sarcastic and unfocused. I watched it when I got home and McCain's performance played worse on tv.

[jberryhill]

9. It was McCain's best performance

...but I can understand why some say it was his "worst". Obviously, we don't agree with his substance or delivery.

It's like asking which pilot on 9/11 did the "best" job.

As far as McCain presenting himself - he did the clearest job last night. And will drop further because of it.

[woodsprite]

10. I came in about 15 min. into it and thought he was doing pretty well.

From what I first heard, I didn't think there was alot setting them far apart from eachother. As the debate wore on, McCain's loonacy started to surface more and more. My favorite line was "Zero?!". My daughter said McCain displayed more facial expressions than her 8yo brother being forced to eat brussel sprouts.

[Rocknrule]

11. Fuck 4 years, I'm looking forward to 8!

[gateley]

12. I disagree -- but I've been pretty much opposite in my reaction about all the

debates. I thought last night was McCain's worst, and Obama's best.

I do agree it's too late.

[Overseas]

14. If McLiar just manages to issue a barrage of nonstop garbage

then he's considered to have won.

He makes bold declarations that are false but since they are bold coherent (at first) declarations, then he is given credit for being strong and seeming in charge.

The relative accuracy didn't seem to matter to those who thought he had won.

Obama parried each falsehood with calm statement of the facts, so in that way Obama won. Managing to push some truth in there among the 15 spitballs McAnger was lobbing his way.

But people don't notice at first because Senator Obama stays calm while McFeisty spouting his lies. He just made the necessary corrections of fact and tried to bring the discussion back to topics like fixing the economy.

[jacksonian]

15. I thought it was his "best", that "best" being rather piss-poor

in the overall scheme of things.

I got the impression from the first two debates McCain was still running a Senate campaign as an incumbent. The "my friends" crap, the attitude that "i'm the experienced one, you should listen to me", his demeanor toward Obama, etc. It all seemed that he was talking to an electorate that was used to voting for him and had already decided he was their guy.

Last night, though, he was trying to talk to undecided voters like a pres campaign should. Problem was what he said not so much how he said it.

The real problem with the McCain campaign has been one thing since this began - John McCain has been doing anything to avoid giving people a positive message of his plans for the next 4-8 years. Every single time the opportunity arises, he changes the subject to something else. That's what Palin was, a distraction from actually outlining positions. That's why the campaign suspension backfired so badly, because there was no point to it when McCain had nothing to offer. That's why last night he spent so much time with Joe the Plumber, as if this specific case proves anything. That was why he made that horrible gaffe about women's health - because ideological purity trumps real-world concerns.

Cheap stunts, misdirection, smears, ideology over reality - anything but substance. But at least he was off the "I'm the Senator" tack.

[Bake]

17. I thought the town hall was his "best." But that's not saying much.

Every debate, Gramps managed to pull a major gaffe. "I'm sure you don'e know who Fanny and Freddy are ...", "THAT one," "health of the mother means just about anything," etc.

And in the town hall, he just wandered around the stage like a senile old fart. Last night, he grimaced and groaned and rolled his eyes. Every time he has come off as an angry, addled loser. Especially last night.

When he fired his one pre-planned zinger ("I'm not George Bush"), Cool Hand Barack gave it right back to him.

Last night, Gramps was desperate, and it showed.

Bake

[cjsmom44]

18. Maybe

He could make a few coherent sentences...