In the much-anticipated final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign season, the man who landed the greatest number of punches, say the commentators, ultimately lost the debate. Despite the invocation of a terrorist, it was a plumber who may have been McCain's undoing. Salon's Joan Walsh explains it this way:

John McCain promised to kick Barack Obama's "you know what" on Wednesday night. He hinted that he'd bring up former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers and worse. Instead...