An Old Boxer Who Has Been in One Too Many Fights

John McCain on Wednesday night delivered the worst performance in a debate I have ever seen. I would call it sad, even pathetic, but it was so bad that I feel guilty about pointing it out too forcefully.

McCain looked like an old boxer who had been in one too many fights. You wanted to pull him from the ring. The whole time I was thinking, "Who let him get into this fight?" Don't you have a conscience? Throw the towel. Throw the towel!

The weird, angry, desperate attacks were punctuated by uncomfortable sighs and eye rolls. It was a train wreck. I literally averted my eyes on a couple of occasions.

The numbers back up what I thought I witnessed tonight. It was a bloodbath. CBS had uncommitted voters going to Obama 53 to 22. CNN had Obama winning overall 58 to 31. He nearly doubled him. I've never seen that before.

After all those punches, Obama's favorability still stood at a rock solid 66 percent. McCain had whiffed on every desperate jab. And at the end of the night, when voters were asked who is more likeable -- a key to winning an election -- it was Barack Obama at 70%. McCain was at a sad, sad 22%.

Have you ever seen numbers that lopsided? I haven't and it's almost painful to look at. I almost want the election to be over now so that we can all stop sharing collectively in John McCain's pain. Even though I'm not for McCain and I even think he has run a dishonorable campaign, I feel an embarrassed, empathetic sadness for him. Please let the sun set already. Let this campaign be over already. I don't want to see him take another hit. What Obama said at the Democratic convention is oddly fitting here, "Enough!"

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Comments

[SamEllison]

Don't feel too sorry, remember the fight scene in "Cool Hand Luke"?
And certainly don't turn this into a "hard-boil­ed-egg-eat­ing-contes­t"!
I could go on...RIP Paul Newman...

[Lindy222]

I felt the same way.

You know, in a lot of ways he really was just this hell-raiser bad boy, with a veneer of duty, honor, country that he didn't really believe, who - after his imprisonment as a POW - thought maybe he really could be a great man after all. Not that it isn't to his credit that he endured such a horrible experience, and we owe him our thanks for that. But it really does require more than that to be a great man. And I'm not sure McCain ever figured that out.

[TheAntiSheep]

"Let this campaign be over already. I don't want to see him take another hit."

Oh hell, no.

He knowingly chose to sell his honor and integrity down the river for blind ambition. He knew the sort of campaign he was getting when he hired the management.

He sowed the seeds of his own destruction, it's only fair he should reap the full harvest.

Besides, it's no longer really about McCain's humiliation, and is now becoming the humiliation and chastening of the entire GOP and their apologists for the things they've done to us.

[caterpol]

Like many here, I feel no empathy for McCain, although I do feel embarassed for him.

He's a sell out on all the issues that he used to say really mattered to him. But the clincher for me was his choice of Palin. He knows, just like everybody else knows, that at the very least, she's intellectually unqualified to be a VP or a Pres.

And when he defends her, knowing he's lying----knowing the whole country knows he's lying---that's what makes me cringe. He might as well go on national TV and argue that the jury's still out on whether the earth is round. We should not have to have this conversation.

[RJBOZ]

Lest we all forget, John McCain was all but given up for dead early on in the primary season. George W. Bush was elected to a second term. Never underestimate the fickelness of the American electorate. I will not rest assured until Senator Obama has his hand upon the Bible taking the oath of office. If what is currently going on in my home state of Ohio with regard to new voter registration is any indication of things to come, then we still have plenty to worry about. Remember Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. Deja Vu all over again!

[yannb]

Don't you think McCain must secretly adore Obama. After all, Obama is politically everything that McCain has always dreamed to be. Young, successful, poised, respected, respectful, presidential, inspiring, self-made. And tall.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if McCain votes Obama in the end.

[HurryUp1212009]

Ironically, McCain's best shot - and thank goodness he won't take it - would be to acknowledge he's probably going to lose, act whistful for about a week and a half, gain some sympathy points and then finish up strong with some radical new proposal for the economy. Remember Hillary's tears in New Hampshire? Also, if McCain acknowledges he's probably lost, and lot of lazy Obama voters will stay home on Election Day, believing it's "in the bag". I sure hope no one from the McCain cabal reads this. We can't get ahead of ourselves, there's still time for an October surprise, and you have lunatic Dick Cheney with his hand on the Israel button. Or they could "announce the capture of Bin Laden" a week before the Election (even though he had been hidden in rendition for over a year). It ain't over until 11/5, and maybe not even then. When faced with defeat and maybe prison, Bush, Cheney and McCain will have some final tricks up their sleeves.

[ChloeQ]

I've seen several articles like this on HuffPo this morning.

Not a word of it! Obama needs to keep running -with confidence, yes - but like he's still the underdog. All of this "feel sorry for them" talk reeks of complacency.

2004 should have taught us that lesson once and for all.

[jobecky20]

Of course Obama rates high on likability...he is a great guy and a lot of voters agree. However, is this enough to make them vote for him? Not necessarily. I actually like John McCain but I am not voting for him. So likability polls are somewhat meaningless. Do not get complacent Democrats...this is FAR FROM OVER! Vote Obama-Biden 08!

[rock2casbah]

He is not just winning in likability. He is leading in all categories. From leadership to economic policies.

It just so happens he is leading in favorability which is huge. The science behind it is proven. That was half the issue of the Clinton's the favorable/­unfavorabl­es. If you mention their names outside of a Democratic group of voters all hell breaks lose. You have to be able to reach across idelogies for people to think you can get things done.

Bush being a prime example of divisiveness not working.

[missjabez]

I feel sorry for McCain, but there's no way I would ever vote for him.

[Housewife]

I h@te the things McCain stands for. I say crushing, humiliating defeat is too good for him.

[JennyJay]

McCain and Cindy - - - - Obama and Michelle - - - - The Past and the Future in front of us.
What we all saw last night was not just an old man fading into history, but all those old dinosaur, fossil people and fossil companies like GM and Ford refusing to accept that the future will be
different and refusing to look ahead and make the necessary adjustments to fit the new times.
With evolution, you either change or you die.
Last night was historic, we watched McCain represent and unchanging, dying generation.
- - - - Now on to getting rid of all those other fossilized dinosaurs in the House and Senate. - - - -

[AnotherMcIntosh]

His smirking was pathetic.

And he didn't even seem to know it.

[nellie]

Perhaps I would feel sympathy if the McCain campaign weren't so hideous. Trying to portray Obama as some kind of terrorist, riling up audiences by portraying Barack as un-American, telling so many lies about him, and most despicable of all, allowing crowds to shout out death threats. The threat of death has been aimed at Barack and his family from both the Clinton and the McCain campaigns. At at that point, any positive feelings I had for either candidate disappeared. I don't think I'll ever have the same positive feelings about Hillary Clinton again, although I appreciate the way she is campaigning for Obama right now. The same is true for McCain.

I have no sympathy for people who resort to these kinds of fantasies. Especially given the history of violence against African Americans in this country.

[MsDebate]

I second that emotion. He is too evil for me to feel sorry for him. He had the audacity to sit there and try to get sympathy for Lewis calling him out with the truth, when he calls Barack everything but a child of God...GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!

[TRYKER]

I'm with you. I DO. NOT. FEEL. SORRY. FOR. McCAIN.
I see nothing to like about the man. I am not impressed with his having been a prisoner...we have millions of prisoners in our country.
After reading the Rolling Stone article about his life, there isn't anything in it that speaks of mature, honest, thoughtful or magnanimous concern for anyone but himself, at the cost of any and all.
He had no business running for President, now or ever.
The ONLY good thing about him is that he is running against the best candidate we have had in decades and is insuring Obama's victory.

[Missmn]

In watching the debate last night, I did not feel sorry for John McCain (as I did after last week's debate). I do not feel sorry for John McCain today. John McCain has run a disgraceful campaign: or someone else has run it on his behalf and he has been ok with that. He has had opportunity after opportunity to demonstrate why his policies and his leadership would be better for Americans than Barack Obama's. He has not done this. Instead of offering solutions, he offers tax cuts and attacks against his opponent: not his opponent's policies, but his opponent. American's neither want, nor need more anger in our politicians. We need solutions. John McCain has misread the country from the beginning of this campaign and he continues to do so. So don't feel sorry for John McCain.

[Chenita]

I really do have a soft spot in my heart for elderly people (if you'd call McCain that...). And I was thinking about how this is not only his last chance at winning this election, this is it for life. Every other candidate, Republican and Democrat, is young enough to try again in upcoming elections. He's probably thinking, man, this Obama dude has the rest of his life to go after the presidency...this is the end of the road for me...

...and with that said, OBAMA/BIDEN '08!!

http://www.delectconnect.com/2008/10/live-blog-of-final-2008-presidential.html

[rucognizant]

Me too.......but keating/ phil gramm, mccains buddy, ending regulation, ended my career run 18 years ago, 2 decades prematurely!
Since then I have merely scrambled to survive! WIth Kensiyan economics I would have continued to climb!