Everyone knew it was coming. McCain’s eyelids had been telegraphing it like Morse since the final degate began. The Ayers/Acorn one-two, Rev. Wright and Tony Rezko implicitly implied, the money shot for the McCain/Palin rally monkeys. Obama had been sticking his jaw out, waiting for it, and when McCain landed the punch Obama reacted as if McCain had delved into Canadian trade deals. McCain declined to follow up his assertion that “details needed to be known” by asking about any, and thousands of Palin fanboys gnashed their teeth in impotent frustration and turned off the debate, which is a shame, ‘cause there was some interesting stuff in the second half. So here’s a brief highlight reel [debates.org]:

McCain: Well, Americans have gotten to know Sarah Palin…

32% favorability. Yes, we have gotten to know her. [www.nytimes.com]

McCain: ….it’s time we had that bresh of freth air (sic) — breath of fresh air coming into our nation’s capital and sweep out the old-boy network and the cronyism that’s been so much a part of it that I’ve fought against for all these years

”I smell like mothballs.”

Schieffer: Do you (Obama) think she’s qualified to be president?

Obama: PASS

Obama: I think it’s very commendable the work she’s done on behalf of special needs. I agree with that, John. I do want to just point out that autism, for example, or other special needs will require some additional funding, if we’re going to get serious in terms of research…..And if we have an across-the-board spending freeze, we’re not going to be able to.

R U SERIUS? U R NOT SERIUS

McCain: …..we’ve sailed Navy ships around the world for 60 years with nuclear power plants on them. We can store and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, Senator Obama, no problem.

Okay, maybe a small problem. [www.bloomberg.com]

McCain: We can offshore drill now. We’ve got to do it now. We will reduce the cost of a barrel of oil because we show the world that we have a supply of our own.

…because of we don’t tear apart the sofa for loose change right now, we’ll never afford a new house.

McCain: …..if you don’t get — adopt the health care plan that Senator Obama mandates, he’s going to fine you. Now, Senator Obama, I’d like — still like to know what that fine is going to be, and I don’t think that Joe right now wants to pay a fine when he is seeing such difficult times in America’s economy.…..
…………….
Obama: I’m happy to talk to you, Joe, too, if you’re out there. Here’s your fine — zero. You won’t pay a fine, because…
MCCAIN: Zero?
OBAMA: Zero

There’s really nothing to add to this moment in writing. The look on McCain’s face is priceless, like he’d just been slapped with a mackerel. You can watch the video here. [www.talkingpointsmemo.com]

McCain: This really gets down to the fundamental difference in our philosophies. If you notice that in all of this proposal, Senator — government wants — Senator Obama wants government to do the job.

Senator Government. One of the greatest Freudian slips of all time.

McCain: I would consider anyone in their qualifications. I do not believe that someone who has supported Roe v. Wade that would be part of those qualifications. But I certainly would not impose any litmus test.

Considering anybody except for those who do X…..is a litmus test.

Obama: Senator McCain and I disagreed recently when the Supreme Court made it more difficult for a woman named Lilly Ledbetter to press her claim for pay discrimination……

Hello, ladies.

McCain: I don’t know how you align yourself with the extreme aspect of the pro- abortion movement in America…

Holy $#!T! There’s a pro-abortion movement? And an extreme one, at that? Isn’t that redundant? Not to mention, f#%k you too?

McCain: Just again, the example of the eloquence of Senator Obama. He’s health for the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything. That’s the extreme pro-abortion position, quote, “health.”

Air quotes??? That sound you hear is McCain’s polling among women going ker-splattttt.

All in all, John McCain was as energetic as he’s been in any of the debates, which has to be a step up, but he was rambling, unfocused, and angry (and hurting). If I didn’t know better, it looked like he split an eight-ball with W. in the limo. Obama, on the other hand, probably had the mellowest of his three debates, and given his goal of seeming a reassuring presence to those unfamiliar with him, he was the teacher parents trusted and kids admired. That’s 3 for 3.

Now, if only this all meant something.

– Michael Turner

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, October 8, 2008 (ENS) – Energy and environment issues formed a substantial part of last night’s presidential debate between Democratic hopeful Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain. The second of three debates was an informal style Town Hall event held at Belmont University in Nashville, with veteran newscaster Tom Brokaw as moderator.

Obama said repeatedly that energy would be a top priority in his administration.

“We are going to have to deal with energy because we can’t keep on borrowing from the Chinese and sending money to Saudi Arabia. We are mortgaging our children’s future. We’ve got to have a different energy plan,” he said.

McCain also said repeatedly that the United States is too dependent on foreign sources of oil. “We’ve got to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t want us very – like us very much,” he said early in the debate.

“My friends,” he said once again, “some of this $700 billion ends up in the hands of terrorist organizations.”

McCain said “drilling offshore and nuclear power are two vital elements” of U.S. energy independence.

McCain’s energy policy depends heavily on nuclear power. “We can work on nuclear power plants. Build a whole bunch of them, create millions of new jobs,” he said when asked what would be his top priority as president.

Later in the debate McCain reduced his assessment of how many jobs the nuclear industry might created, saying, “Look, I was on Navy ships that had nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is safe, and it’s clean, and it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs.”

“We have to have all of the above, alternative fuels, wind, tide, solar, natural gas, clean coal technology,” the Republican said.

From left: Senator John McCain and Senator
Barack Obama after their debate in
Nashville, Tennessee (Photo by
Berna Rosario)

Democratic candidate Obama has called for an investment of $15 billion a year over 10 years toward energy independence. “Our goal should be, in 10 year’s time, we are free of dependence on Middle Eastern oil.”

“That would be priority number one,” he said, calling energy independence a national security issue “because countries like Russia and Venezuela and, you know, in some cases, countries like Iran, are benefiting from higher oil prices.”

In response to a question from a member of the public on what sacrifices Americans will have to make, Obama called on Americans to “save energy in our homes, in our buildings.”

Obama promised “incentives so that you can buy a fuel efficient car that’s made right here in the United States of America, not in Japan or South Korea.”

“I believe in the need for increased oil production,” Obama said. “We’re going to have to explore new ways to get more oil, and that includes offshore drilling. It includes telling the oil companies, that currently have 68 million acres that they’re not using, that either you use them or you lose them,”

“We’re going to have to develop clean coal technology and safe ways to store nuclear energy,” he said.

McCain dismissed Obama’s requirement that nuclear power be safe, saying, “Nuclear power. Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that.”

“And I know that we can reprocess the spent nuclear fuel,” said McCain. “The Japanese, the British, the French do it. And we can do it, too. Senator Obama has opposed that.”

In fact, Japan transports the spent fuel from its nuclear reactors by ship to France and Britain for reprocessing.

Answering a question from the audience about how quickly the candidates would move to address environmental issues, like climate change and green jobs, McCain espoused environmental causes in a general way.

“We can move forward, and clean up our climate, and develop green technologies, and alternate – alternative energies for – for hybrid, for hydrogen, for battery-powered cars, so that we can clean up our environment and at the same time get our economy going by creating millions of jobs,” McCain said.

Obama said, “It is absolutely critical that we understand this is not just a challenge, it’s an opportunity, because if we create a new energy economy, we can create five million new jobs, easily, here in the United States.”

“It can be an engine that drives us into the future the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades,” said the Democrat.

Reminding the audience that his opponent voted against alternative energy 23 times, Obama said, “Sen. McCain talks a lot about drilling, and that’s important, but we have three percent of the world’s oil reserves and we use 25 percent of the world’s oil.”

“So what that means is that we can’t simply drill our way out of the problem. And we’re not going to be able to deal with the climate crisis if our only solution is to use more fossil fuels that create global warming,” Obama said.

Stung by the assertion that he has voted against the alternative energy solutions he now espouses, McCain countered, “It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney.”

“You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one,” said McCain, referring to his opponent.

“You know who voted against it? Me.”

McCain grew more impatient and dismissive of Obama as the debate continued into areas of foreign policy, until by the end of the encounter, the Republican was ignoring his opponent.

After the debate had concluded and both candidates were free to walk around the hall talking to audience members, Senator Obama offered his hand to his opponent, but McCain looked away.

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