Presidential Debate Preview: McCain Says He'll "Whip" Obama's "You-Know-What"

***Click here for complete coverage of tonight's debate***

Tonight is the third and final presidential debate, and the stakes are highest for John McCain -- he's on track to finish off the season with three strikes. The Arizona Republican has been raising expectations for a fight. Before last Tuesday's debate he made a similar move, suggesting to a crowd that he would "take the gloves off." (He didn't, and by many accounts the debate was not only "boring" but another win for Obama.)

Tonight is McCain's last chance to close the widening gap between him and Senator Obama. By McCain's own predictions, it would seem that only a knockout win will do the trick. Read below for McCain's two major pronouncements: that he'll "'whip' Obama's "you-know-what" and that it's "probably ensured" he'll bring up William Ayers tonight.

MCCAIN'S PLAN TO "WHIP" OBAMA'S "YOU-KNOW-WHAT":

John McCain predicted Sunday he would beat Barack Obama at the final presidential debate this week.

"After I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," the Republican nominee told volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, sparking laughter and applause from the group. McCain immediately added: "I want to emphasize again, I respect Senator Obama. We will conduct a respectful race, and we will make sure that everybody else does, too."

MCCAIN'S PLAN TO BRING UP WILLIAM AYERS:

In an interview on a St. Louis radio station, McCain said Obama's comments that "I didn't have the guts" to talk about William Ayers in the last presidential debate have "probably ensured" that the former 1960s radical will come up in Wednesday's debate.

Katharine Zaleski Is the Senior News Editor for Huffington Post. She can be reached at [e-mail] or here.

Comments

[Chironomid]

01:24 AM on 10/16/2008

How now?

The whipper got a whuppin'

[dzuh]

12:19 AM on 10/16/2008

I knew when I read this post this morning that McCain's boast that he was gonna "whip" Obama's "you know what" in the debate was a lot of hot air -- I think even McCain must have known it was an empty promise. Watching the debate and remembering this quote, I couldn't help but think of McCain as Grampa Simpson in the episode where Bart & Lisa throw a wild party in the house when the parents go away, and he threatens to spank Nelson by pulling off his belt, and his pants fall down as he sputters angrily. And it's not so much McCain's age as his temper boiling just under the surface that gives this impression. I wonder if he realizes how much he embarrasses himself with his body language.

[huffingOff]

01:33 AM on 10/16/2008

Thank you. Seriously, though, McCain with his temper and militaristic bent increasingly reminds me of Dick Cheney. The chances of attempts being made on his life while in office by the same terrorists who tried it with Cheney scare me enough regardless since a successful attempt would result in a situation they would probably prefer anyway.

[majorteddy]

11:31 PM on 10/15/2008

Whoops, Grandpa Simpson, talk is cheap. It is Obama that was the real student of Teddy Roosevelt's style, which was "Walk softly, but carry a big stick". I think you got your hat handed to you old chap!

[margardner]

10:57 PM on 10/15/2008

WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!! ALL Three major media channels CNN, FOX, and CSNBC with attendees at the dial say OBAMA WINS!!!!!

WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!! Obama, 3 for 3 !!

[Pegi]

11:10 PM on 10/15/2008

yep, i voted on all of them - hope everyone goes and votes for the Big O!!!!

[RRonin]

10:52 PM on 10/15/2008

Didn't know he meant a wet noodle.....

[pegbo]

10:35 PM on 10/15/2008

CNN is saying McCain did great, what did they watch.

[Pegi]

10:40 PM on 10/15/2008

so's andrea mitchell!!! GAG ME NOW!!!

[haveitoldyoulately]

10:34 PM on 10/15/2008

He sounds like a President........OBAMA AAA+++

[haveitoldyoulately]

10:22 PM on 10/15/2008

I wanna smack that smirk off McCain's face

[Nolana]

10:30 PM on 10/15/2008

Me first! Can't I go first?

[haveitoldyoulately]

10:35 PM on 10/15/2008

Nolana, I think it will be a looooooooong line...LOL

[Pegi]

10:22 PM on 10/15/2008

OBAMA IS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A.!!!!!

GOBAMA - YES, HE'S THAT ONE!!!!

[Nolana]

10:21 PM on 10/15/2008

Take soldiers off the battlefield and make them into teachers without training or certification? what kind of blithering idiot thinks THAT"S a good idea?

[Chironomid]

01:29 AM on 10/16/2008

Thank you, Nolana! Apparently, judging by the CNN response meter, a lot of people thought so. Heaven help us.

I thought that was absurd, too. What's with this idea that if you perform a valuable service in one arena, you are automatically and fully transferable to another arena without any additional credential or vetting?

I completely appreciate what our soldiers do for us -- my wife (Air Force) and father-in-law (Korean Vet) are among them. Both of them would say "Me.. a teacher? Sorry, but that's not my skill set".

Ridiculous..

[pegbo]

10:20 PM on 10/15/2008

Teachers not taking exams???

[Nolana]

10:23 PM on 10/15/2008

I commented on that, but it got pend_ed. I don't have kids, but you can be darn sure that if I did, I'd make blo ody certain that their teachers were duly trained and certified.

[pegbo]

10:25 PM on 10/15/2008

I agree, I'm all for giving the troops the money to go to school to become teachers, though.

[pegbo]

10:18 PM on 10/15/2008

Obama is hitting grand slam after grand slam!!!

[Nolana]

10:18 PM on 10/15/2008

Drat my typing skills. "Plaj" was meant to be "plain"

On another subject, has anyone else noticed how "eloquence" has become a term of denigration, much like "elite"?

[haveitoldyoulately]

10:21 PM on 10/15/2008

yep, they've become bad words

[Nolana]

10:16 PM on 10/15/2008

I h ate Mc Cain. I just plaj ha te him. He has no redeeming qualities.

[Pegi]

10:18 PM on 10/15/2008

you are reading my mind!!

[pegbo]

10:19 PM on 10/15/2008

I second that.

[sadbutrue]

10:16 PM on 10/15/2008

Does he plan to do that through the effort of blinking he's been doing through the debate? McCain is blinking like crazy!! It's hilarious! Hey Sarah palin( Winkin') and John McCain ( Blinkin), where's nod?!