Greg, good point, except for one thought: didn't everyone who loves a good performance already join Obama?

I'm not sure it's wise to limit comparing their speeches from yesterday purely to theatrics.

In fact, for those who are listening to what McCain has to say, his message yesterday seems to have been very significant.

McCain is as arrogant in these demands as Clinton is narcissistic in hers.

And then Obama should invite the geezer to debate at a 20,000+ seat arena.

I've actually met McCain when he was on a book tour a few years ago - I had to tell him my name FOUR TIMES while he was shaking my hand because his attention span is that of a slug.

Yes, he definitely gives me the creeps!

To be fair, McCain is better speaking extemporaneously than he is in prepared speeches. Obama is better with the prepared speech than he is in other formats (though, one problem is that he sets an extraordinarily high bar because of his oratory skills).

That said, I think the best part about town halls is that I can't imagine McCain would be able to make it through ten of them without some sort of blowup. Everything, from the exchange they had early in Obama's Senate career to things McCain has said on trail, suggest that Obama really gets under McCain's skin.

He should do townhalls together, but not on McCain's clock. Is he kidding? The zombie has had his ass on the couch for three months while the confetti is yet to be clearned in MN.

Fewer townhalls than once a week and on a schedule both campaigns can agree.

Who writes his stuff?!?

This letter is horribly crafted!!!

I agree - Obama suffers a little in improvised Q&A. He has that lawyer-esque "Uhhh" syndrome when he's looking for the right words (or trying not to say the wrong words).

But I dare ANYONE to take him on when he's on a roll in front of a rabid supporter base! I soooooo cannot wait for him to do a speech at Soldier Field in Chicago with 100,000+ people in attendance!

Accept, accept now, do it, do it, do it.

1. It's the way things should be.

2. Obama will shine - it will take him down from the soaring speeches (which are moving and inspiring, etc. - I'm not belittling them) and give him more of the human feel that his campaign was trying to do late in the primary season, when they realized the big-hall speeches, while dramatic, weren't helping him connect with voters who weren't there, who only saw shot after shot of a big hall full of cheering people and few snippets of substanceless speeches where Obama was talking to the rafters, not to people.

Include a lot of purple states, though - make sure of that. New York City, for example, doesn't do much for Obama, although being the media capital it is useful. Stay out of too many big cities.

Oh, by the way, when is that bullshit "Michelle Obama bombshell" supposed to hit the net? Not even Drudge has anything on it.

I say do it. But not in June. Build an insurmountable cash advantage and drive things to the point where McCain is begging for a debates. Lower expectations and call him out on his bullshit policies.

p.s: Can Obama get a new debate prep team? Paging Ron Klain!

You're right, Aubie. That letter is awful.

"To show our good faith, we should both commit to the first town hall I have suggested...."

Is this how McCain intends to interact with Obama? Constantly challenge him to do things that McCain figures will put him at a disadvantage?

First, the Iraq trip, and now this.

Do politicians typically feel compelled to respond to these "dares"?

And I just think McCain looked particularly old and lame last night.

Everytime I see him challenge anyone, I think the same thing: "Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum!"

DemCon Watch is now reporting 11 SuperDels out for Obama today (including the Mondale switch I mentioned earlier). This list includes Tom Harkin (IA).

McCain proposing town halls = his campaign got the point last night about trying to speechify behind a podium compared to Obama.

Town halls- good. 10 of them- too many. Before the convention- not a chance.

10 is too many, but that's the point. McCain is begging Obama to say no, or limit them to two. Then he can ride a high horse of his own making.

Obama should offer 20, throw it back in his face.

In 1963, Senator Barry Goldwater and President John F. Kennedy agreed to make presidential campaign history by flying together from town to town and debating each other face-to-face on the same stage. In Goldwater's words, those debates "would have done the country a lot of good." Unfortunately, with President Kennedy's untimely death, Americans lost the rare opportunity of witnessing candidates for the highest office in the land discuss civilly and extensively the great issues at stake in the election.

I wish McCain hadn't raised the specter of assassination. We all know what happened in 1963.

I agree that 10 town meetings is too much and could be a diversion for Obama, but I like the concept, partly because it is unusual, and not the politics of the past. I wish Obama had asked McCain to join him in a discussion of the basis for humanitarian interventions, or join him on trip to Africa, say Kenya (well, maybe not Kenya)to talk to Africans about fighting AIDs, poverty, and so on. It would be an education for McCain and might have interesting consequences on the election campaign.

Between now and the conventions is the best opportunity to do something unusual, something bold. Obama only gains from this. Obama=a new way of politics

I originally posted this over at the Republican forum on Politico, but thought I'd throw it up here as well. Previous posters have already covered a lot of this, but I think a bit of reiteration is not a bad thing.

McCain is simply trying to dictate the terms of the campaign to play to his strengths (townhalls) and avoid his weaknesses (money, set-piece speeches). He will keep issuing challenges (like the proposed joint trip to Iraq) to Obama to try and keep him on the defensive and not allow him to get his GE feet under him. If Obama acscepts then he is letting his opponent set the agenda. If he declines, then of course McCain will portray him as a chicken who is afraid to face "real Americans". It's a fairly clever strategy, but that's all it is - a political strategy - not some highminded appeal to civility and discourse. I do think it might backfire on McCain though if Obama accepts. McCain is good in townhall settings, but Obama is no slouch at it, and if McCain wants to paint him as aloof, this is not the way to do it. Just ask Iowans, the closer the setting, the more genuine and charming Obama comes off.

I think Obama would mop the floor with him. Bring it on!

Here's the response from David Plouffe

“As Barack Obama has said before, the idea of joint town halls is appealing and one that would allow a great conversation to take place about the need to change the direction of this country. We would recommend a format that is less structured and lengthier than the McCain campaign suggests, one that more closely resembles the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. But, having just secured our party’s nomination, this is one of the many items we will be addressing in the coming days and look forward to discussing it with the McCain campaign."

I wish the Obama campaign hadn't raised the specter of assassination by mentioning Lincoln.

We all know that Lincoln was the Republican nominee for President from, what was then, a Western state.

There's no need to throw it in our faces.