Who wants to look away? I want to watch it in slow motion. Savor every moment. In 3-D.

Normally I'd say, Expect McLame to have been very strongly coached as to his mien and eye-contact and any other failings perceived from last time. No more angry, crabbed old man, John! But that's awfully hard to reconcile with the Attack! Attack! Attack! strategy they've shifted to. They're kind of in a bind there: if they really believe going for the jugular is their only hope, then they have to go for it. But that's only going to put them in the position of repeating what didn't work--what actually worked against them--last time. If I had to lay odds I'd give a slight edge to them going with trying to make John seem more compassionate, human, benevolent etc. and let the ads do the nasty for 'em, rather than ramping up Mr Angry Geezer x10. But it's gotta be a hard call.

I think BHO's best bet is to do exactly what he did in the first debate. To come off as tolerant and expansive and not at all angry about McCain's slide into sleaze. Just par for the course and really just beneath notice for a guy who's going to be our next president, kinda like the way you'd pretend not to notice if he kept loudly farting at a formal dinner. I think this shoulder-brush approach is WAY more effective for him than direct confrontation. Somewhere in there a bit of stern reproach, yes, but the dominant mood should be amused tolerance, as in "Come on, John, we both know this is beneath you." Probably be far more infuriating to McCain than any hitting back with Keating 5 crap of his own.

Tee hee hee

Maybe I am the proverbial fool rushing in where angels fear to tread, but I would like to take a moment here to remember all of those comments during the primaries to the effect of "anyone who thinks that Obama is going to win those red states in the GE is delusional." I think that the coming electoral college landslide is going to prove that it was not such a crazy gamble to aim for more than the old fashioned 50%+1 approach to the electoral college strategy.

(TPM has evidently purged the comments section in the archives from that season so it is impossible to link to quotes, but I think you can all remember the sorts of remarks to which I refer.)

And George Mason, father of the Bill of Rights!

New Mexico is going to vote for Obama - I'm just sure of it.

In the first place, this is the 3d poorest state in the country. In the north here, tourism and second home owners are the basis of the economy - art galleries. That's the first thing that goes under in a recession because it's pure luxury. People are very nervous about the economy.

Yup. I've been out canvassing already and I'm making tons of calls. Will be canvassing the last 3-4 days before the election as well.

I might have been able to if the Democrats had paid any attention to the state. I dunno - we're way behind in the polls.

I keep holding out hope for the huge voter turnout and I think we'll see it and I believe it's closer than the polls suggest - I'd like to know who they're polling.

Noriega was ahead of Cornyn for awhile. But we've been ignored again. There was some support early and Noriega was doing great as a result.

I'm not happy that Texas has been written off again - it's damned short-sighted.