When Is A Town Hall Debate Not A Town Hall Debate?

When the Republican spin operatives say is isn't.

As Logan Murphy at C&L makes clear, a half hour before the debate was even over, the GOP spin doctors were already sending out e-mails disparaging the debate as not really a town hall format and therefore a disadvantage to McCain.

Yeah, that's right. They saw the writing on the wall with McCain before the gig was over and didn't blame the debater, they blamed the style of the debate. The "town hall" debate that BOTH candidates agreed to - signing off on the rules of the debate in advance - the "town hall" setting that John McCain asked Obama to weekly. The "town hall" style that would've shown the country who connects with the average American - "Joe Six-pack," if you will.

How pathetic. But in a strange way, they spin machine is right. A real town hall would've had a back and forth between the audience member who asked the question and the debater. The rules gave the debater a chance to avoid answering the question or changing the subject. Perhaps if Obama had agreed to do the town halls in the first place, he would have had this thing wrapped up a month ago.

That One

That is the moment of the debate that will be remembered for a long, long time. Senator John Sidney McCain III has such disdain for Senator Barack Obama, that he can't even bear to speak his name, instead referring to him as "That one." It was ugly. It was arrogant. It was dismissive. It was a quick peek at the real John McCain. Eyes wide open, nostrils flaring. Complete and utter disgust for having to prove himself against someone who he thinks is beneath him.

This is completely unbecoming of someone aspiring to the office of President of the United States. McCain's wanton ambition is to be the leader of the free world, yet he can't bear to utter his opponent's name. He can blurt out Hugo Chavez with ease. He can fumble through Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but he can't say "Senator Barack Obama." He calls him "That one."
And just in case you think it might be overreaction, take a look at the end of the debate. McCain pats Obama on the back, Obama puts his hand out to shake and McCain refuses. Instead he points to his beer heiress wife and Obama graciously shakes her hand.



Very unpresidential.

More on the debate later...