Posted by
albear on Friday, September 26, 2008 2:11:36 PM
If you haven't heard, McCain and Obama will be debating tonight. Forget Russia or Iran, the biggest issue they face at this hour is "Do I go with the red tie or the yellow tie?" Tonight, while content will play its part, it's the imagery that'll carry the day. Does Obama "look" and "sound" presidential? Does McCain look like he's going to keel over? Will Obama be wearing the flag pins he's suddenly taken a shine to? Will McCain drag a travel bag on stage to make the point he'll be back on the plane before Keith, Campbell and Katie have a chance to tell America how horrible he did?
It is exciting, and face it, McCain's made it more so. For all of Obama's Hollywood glitz, it's McCain who knows drama better than TNT.
So what do I expect tonight? The events of the past 48 hours have made the likelihood of a straightforward foreign policy debate go as haywire as David Blaine's "Dive of Death" finale. Which means expect the unexpected. Which means an element of chaos. Which means Obama is playing on McCain's turf.
Now, how does the bailout play out tonight? If there's a deal that improves on the original, McCain looks like a genius. If there isn't a deal and Obama tries blaming McCain, McCain says, "Yeah, the original sucked, and the American people know it." McCain looks like a hero. If there's a framework of a deal that both Obama and McCain can live with and support, America breaths a sigh of relief and the two can get to bashing each other over foreign policy.
No matter what, Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing: It'll make for better TV viewing than the new "Knight Rider."