Haven't we heard this before?

Any debate in the past 3 or four POTUS elections?

Not gonna happen.

Just like last time, they'll talk all tough before the debate, but when it's crunch time McCain will wimp out and not say a thing.

He's too predictable at this point. And probably still scared to death that Obama will drop the Keating bomb on him.

... McCain adviser Tucker Bounds... telegraphed a punch

Still using that old 19th-century technology, I see.  Doncha know they've taken all the tubes out of radios and twisted them into the Internet?

I shudder to think of McSame with his finger on the button... the SEND button.

McCain set himself up by telling his various crowds he's going to whip Obama's ass, etc. He CAN'T get through the debate without bringing up Ayres or he proves himself to be a total "pussy" in the eyes of Republicans. One thing McCain can't possibly bear to be called is a pussy.

So he'll bring it up one way or another. But he stands a good chance of alienating every non-Repub with his nastiness and "old politics" crapola. He's screwed on this.

There seemed to be a lot of McCain news and coverage, and given his speech tomorrow, he'll probably dominate coverage again.

How can the Obama camp best counter or deflate the "I'm a fighter" angle that the McCain Camp seems to have decided to run on from here on out?

Polls are bound to start narrowing, and once that starts happening even in the slightest bit the MSM will jump all over the "McCain as the comeback kid" storyline.

I'll bet anyone a dollar that it will not be McCain who raises the name of Ayers, but rather it will be Bob Schieffer.

Of all the debate moderators, Schieffer is the one that the Obama campaign should watch out for. Bob Schieffer is a tool and he cannot be trusted. He joyfully rides on that tire-swing.

Hillary's last play was to become the "fighter" for Women and the white working class (to a lesser extent). McCain has ran Hillary's campaign all over again. Hillary did find traction with her fighter meme, however it was too late.

Obama doesn't have the secured votes yet like he did in the primary, so he needs to stem this new attempt by McCain. Not doing so would have been a kin to having all delegates vote at the end of the Dem primary.

Run through the tape Barack.

(yes I'm in the worrying mode tonight)

This is the most telegraphed punch in the history of politics. I hope McCain is stupid enough to bring it up. And then Obama has the choice of either taking the high road, explaining briefly his relationship with Ayers and then shifting to the economy, or he can run through a list of McCain's dubious associations starting with Keating and G. Gordon Liddy.

I feel like I'm back in high school watching some meathead yell about kicking someone's ass with the hope of having his friends pull him back.

http://pufferfish.typepad.com/

Old Yellow Stain has no honor left to lose

OT Deep Thought:

Has the new TPM blog update scared off the trolls?

Obama has been baiting McCain with Ayers. So McCain now wants to take the bait and continue to drive up his already increasing negatives. It can't be this easy there has to be a catch somewhere.

I think this will turn out like the Peanuts cartoon when Lucy pulls away the football just as Charlie Brown goes to kick it. McCain will be flat on his back yelling drats my friends, drats.

I don't think the Ayers controversy has the numbers to make this kind of attack work. Besides, the politician's answer, not answering the question but redirecting --> the discussion, works perfectly here.

McCain: Ayers, inexperience...

Obama: This is exactly the kind of Washington politics we don't need at a time of crisis like this. --> There are people who want to distract you from the current issue at hand / policies of the last 8 years that aren't working for Americans...

Of course, if McCain does ask Obama about Ayers, will he look him in the eye?

Frankly, I want to know. I don't care that we're involved in 3 wars. I don't care that both the U.S. economy and the world economy are in turmoil. No. I want to know why Obama served on a board headed by the Annenberg family. And, what might be the Annenberg's connection to domestic terrorism?

McCain will look like a fool if he brings up Ayers. Of course, when has being a fool ever stopped McCain?

You know, when McCain laughs or smiles, he reminds me of Dastardly Dog.

McCain and his team may decide they have nothing to lose but McCain's honor.

Excuse me? That's long gone. Irretrievable.

One good thing in that if McCain gave his economy speech today he'd be claiming responsibility, that the stock market rebounded because of his leadership and what he said in his plan.

Hell, if neither McCain nor Scheiffer bring it up, Barack should do it.

"John, is there something you wanted to ask me? Something about hanging out with terrorists? Now might be a good time."

If he has any sense, Ayers will not come up unless the moderator, Schieffer ask about it. The viewing public has decided Obama won the first two debates because of McCain's behavior. And if McCain does bring Ayers up, if I were him, I would bring up G Gordon Liddy and Duke Cunningham, among others. McCain's hands are not clean.

If McCain doesn't bring it up he may have a greater chance of being assasinated than Obama. He had no clue what he was getting into when he selected Palin.

Be still my heart - Rachel Maddow asks the one question I want to hear answered of Barbara Boxer, who gives the answer I want to hear.

Rachel asked whether Boxer would back inquiries and accountability for the abuses of power by the Bush Administraiton if there is a strong Democratic Congress. Barbara said Yes, because that is the only way we can really go forward.

O thank you ladies.

John pushed the wrong button...It should have been eject rather than Fire!

Bash also asked McCain about the Virginia Campaign Coordinator who told his canvassers to compare Osama to Obama saying that both had friends who bombed the Pentagon and if he'd condemn those remarks and instead of simply saying yes and killing the issue he decided to attack Rep. Lewis.

Also tonight on Hardball Biden said that McCain would regret his campaign for the rest of his life the way he's been using race and terrorist charges in the campaign. So it seems like the Obama camp doesn't want to let this issue die. I thought that surely Obama would want to keep the focus on the economy.

About McCain raising the Ayers nonissue, chances are very slim, as most of you have said above, unless he is directly asked because as soon as he goes negative on his own before the 60+ million people, more people will conclude that he's really a bad guy, and more independents / undecideds will run away from him.
On the other hand, he may not need any direct question. As an insane maverick, he may suddenly realize that he cannot be a good guy any more and cannot win this election no matter what he does, so why not throw one ugly punch, just to prove that he's "a fighter," even if it were at the cost of getting knocked out from the ring?

Let's revert to the scenario where he has not lost his mind completely. Schieffer may provide him some sort of occasion, but it has to be more than a subtle one. Any one of the following ideas could be an opening, but I still think McInsane is gutless: "Senator McCain, your campaign aid has said that you cannot win on economy and that it is time to turn the page on that issue; that conclusion brought a barrage of negative ads assaulting Obama's character; you ads were evaluated to be close to 100% negative; then, when the crowd got violent at your rallies, you appeared to back off a bit while still running those ads, and now you just came out with some [fuzzy] economic plans. Recent polls suggest that those negative ads are unlikely to sway independent voters; in fact, independents view those ads unfavorably and are likely to close doors to you for once and all. Critics have noted your [erratic] inconsistent message. From now on, are you going to stay focussed on economy or going back to character assault and lose election and honor at the same time or will you at least try to save one, even if the other is increasingly looking impossible?"

In any case, I think Obama will be ready to throw 5 punches at McCain if he dares one.

Frum, just got scrummed by Rachel Maddow!

The telegraph about Ayers has me questioning what the McCain camp is really up to. I believe it's partly to satisfy the people at the McCain/Palin town hall meetings who say they want McCain to go after Obama. But there's the possibility that this Ayers telegraph is a parrying technique -- suggest you're going to throw a left jab to the gut, but then surprise your opponent with a right jab to the face.

In this case, that right jab might be the good Reverend Wright. Remember, up to this point McCain supposedly has said that he wasn't going to raise the subject, despite advisers urging him to do so. Well, now he needs a new stunt to bolster his campaign, and Wright might just be the only arrow left in his quiver.

When a cop pulls you over, he'll call you by your first name.  It establishes an equal-or-greater-than relationship.

In the first debate, Obama called McSame, "John" a lot.  In the second, not at all.

I wonder if that was deliberate, or somehow reflected a dynamic of the town-hall setting.  And I wonder about Wednesday.

After last week's "why won't he ask me to my face" tactic by the O campaign, Barack & his team will be prepping for a variety of "attacks" from McDumbass. Ayers, Wright, Rezko etc.
They have basically baited McBomb into asking some kind of pointed question about Obama's "associations":

* If McDouchebag asks the question, O will swat him aside with a calm, collected response (not a counter-attack about McShame's associations as suggested above, that would be getting down in the mud with the repugs and it's definitely not O's style).

* If McSimple doesn't ask a pointed question, he will receive further abuse for being a wimp/coward.

I'm absolutely not complacent about the debate or the election. O will have to be on top of his game, just like in debates 1 & 2 but I think he will again shine bright while the dullard tries to drag him down.

McCain was briefly shown on the news hugging a supporter today and it was pathetic and bizarre at the same time. He was hugging her like she was his lifesaver. McCain is definitely in some strange place emotionally, it won't take much for Obama to break him in the debate.
Also somebody really should tell the McCain campaign that the Rocky song is an ironically poor choice.

Hey I finally have nodes!

I finally could get in!

Sadly, I'm tired and I'm going to bed...

Keating + Liddy + Follieri = stones + glass houses

New Quinnipiac polls

* Colorado: Obama leads 52 - 43 percent pre-debate and 52 - 43 percent post debate;
* Michigan: Obama is up 55 - 37 percent pre debate and 54 - 38 percent post debate;
* Minnesota: Obama leads 51 - 43 percent pre-debate and 51 - 40 percent post debate;
* Wisconsin: Obama leads 51 - 43 percent pre-debate and 54 - 37 percent post debate.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/14/7948/3594/547/629987

CO+9
MI+18
MN+8
WI+8

I am just wondering if name calling and scare tactics could be left to little kids who don't know better. Honestly, how pathetic is the GOP behavior?
I think the intelligence of most Americans has been insulted beyond definition. Time for Change, yes, but can we also admit it is TIME for more HONESTY. UGH!

...McSame's HONOR?

Huh, what HONOR does this despicable man have!