So is this the real John McCain?
No question the man who turned up last night did a better job than he'd done at the previous two debates. But here's the problem for McCain: he's either last week's guy, who seems to be on medication, or he's this week's guy, who seems to have been abruptly taken off it.
He gave the game away in his first answer when, in talking about the economy, he said that Americans were angry. But Americans aren't angry, they're poleaxed. They're terrified. They're afraid they're going to lose their jobs or their homes or their pensions. They're worried they won't be able to send their kids to college. If John McCain thinks they're angry, it's either because he's projecting, or else he's simply been going to too many of his own rallies.
As he smirked and blinked and raised his eyebrows, I couldn't help wondering what tonight's McCain seemed like to all those conservative pundits who'd been hoping a different McCain would show up. Is this what they meant? Is this the John McCain of Bill Kristol's dreams?
Whichever McCain shows up, some things stay the same. He's a towel-snapper. He can't land a joke. He seems old. (As Martin Short said on Letterman just after the debate, "The only time he doesn't have to pee is when he's peeing.") And he's an absolutely terrible actor. Every time McCain went into his Joe-the-plumber-bit, those undecided voters on CNN were unmoved. They were probably not saying barf, like some of us were, but that's only because they're not allowed to talk amongst themselves during the debate.
At the Time Politics conference this week, New York Times columnist Frank Rich asked, "Was there any way that the Sarah Palin choice might have played out differently?" CBS' Jeff Greenfield gave a wonderful answer. He said the question reminded him of a woman friend who'd said of her divorce, "We would have had a wonderful marriage if he had been a completely different person." Isn't that great? It's practically a Zen koan, not that I know what a Zen koan is. But one of the most remarkable things about Barack Obama is that he's the same person every time he shows up. And as for John McCain, a completely different person showed up tonight, and it didn't seem to matter.
Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Hofstra Presidential Debate from HuffPost bloggers
Loading comments… 
I'm angry that we have a do nothing Senate that blames the President for doing nothing. I'm angry that President And our congress backed Trillions of dollars in loans for people who could never afford them. I'm angry that Barnie Frank spends years defending those loans and stonewalli
I'm more angry that Washington is clueless about controllin
I'm most angry that BOTH parties are more concerned about fixing the blame instead of fixing the problem. Both candidates lie and throw up smoke screens but neither will commit to the tough decisions we need to get us out of this problem. We need a leader and not a politician
We should be marching (peacefull
McCain would make a terrible president as he would treat his job as president as he has his campaign, one can only imagine the terror, damage and chaos that would result in his presidency or perhaps worse if he did not make it through and Palin had to take over.
The McPalin ticket win would make an interestin
McCain is still angry at Obama for something that happen nearly 40 years ago. He said in the last debate that he did not care about Ayer's, etc. We all know the next day Ayer's was featured in an attack ad on Obama.
NOW can you imagine how he feels about Vietnam - for holding him as a POW.
No one has yet made or spoken of that connection
Wuuuuuuuuu
I am angry about two stolen elections
I am angry about an unnecessar
I am angry about a son who has killed people in a foreign land
I am angry about that same son who has PTSD and physical injuries
I am angry that there is a presidenti
But I am scared, too.
Scared that we could have a third stolen election
Scared for my other son who is joining the military
Scared of those people at the rallies
Scared of something I don't even dare say out loud
But it's a plus to have faith.
Stay positive, even when you think that you cannot.
We are never given more than we can bear.
Face those fears, look them in the face and then hand them over to Our Heavenly Creator. Senator Obama soon to be President Obama is well protected in more ways than one. Have faith in that fact.
With that I send love an prayers for you and your sons.
STAY STONG
OBAMA-BIDE
*
*
Instead, what I see in McCain is someone as scared, maybe more scared than most of us, mixed with desperatio
And, when you take that and add it with being completely out of touch with average Americans, which was obviously indicated by his responses on Letterman last night, you have an absolute TRAIN WRECK. The guy is either a great actor or he actually BELIEVES that Sarah Palin is ready for the role of VP possibly POTUS, should something happen to him. His mantra was "I'm just so proud of her". What is he, her grandpa?
The one point I agree with McCain is that there is an abundance of anger out there. But, wow, we certainly disagree with out to remedy it.
McCain and the Tina Fey lookalike are totally out of touch, like characters in a bad sitcom. Imagine : ARE YOU SMART ENOUGH TO BE PRESIDENT, Thursday at 9:00 on the channel of your choice, KREP. Host Joe the Plummer hurls questions at this team. Their answers are side-split
To me, the most ridiculous statement that McCain made yet was that he'd balance the budget during his administra
'Nuff said. Visit http:myspa
Sally Straight ---MyComme
In fact, I think you'd have to be partially brain dead not to be angry.
Unfortunat
John McCain's anger though is the wrong response to the public's anger. Public figures need to demonstrat